I Begged and Love Said No
by xxwretchedandivinexx
Summary: Kat has moved to Finland to go to college. Running into Ville Valo was never her plan, though she would like to think he is her one true love. Her past catches up to her and the truth of everything: her parents, her real family and the evil that has unknowingly been a part of her life, finally comes out. Can Kat's and Ville's relationship withstand the tests and trials that life ke
1. Chapter 1

Information: -Katerina Owens [Nickname: Kat] -Age: 20 -Hair: Dark brown, long and cut scene-ish -Eyes: Hazel -Body Type: Slender/Athletic -Style: Scene/"emo" -Backstory: Came from a broken home. Mom was a drunk, and at age 7, Dad bailed. Kat practically raised herself and now she's moved to Helsinki to go to college. -Major: Journalism Kat has a few secrets... CHAPTER 1: I rushed to get my coffee and books. I was going to be late for class. I turned to leave the only decent coffee shop in Helsinki, when my coffee fell to the floor, making a big mess. I gasped. "Oh!" I turned to see Ville Valo looking at me with big green eyes, shock on his face. "I-Uh..." I stammered. "I'm so sorry!" Ville exlaimed. "It's okay. I have to go." I started to leave, but Ville gently stopped me. "I didn't get your name." he said. "Kat." "Ville." Ville stuck out his hand for me to shake. I obliged quickly. "I really have to go." I said, trying to leave. "Maybe I'll see you around?" Ville called. I ran for the University of Helsinki. Being a journalism major, I had just passed up a major interview opportunity. And possibly something more. I practically crashed through the classroom door, causing everyone to look at me. Sliding into my seat in the back, I opened my textbook. "Kat, would you care to tell us why you're late?" Mr. Barto asked. "I...ran into someone at the coffee shop and my coffee spilled everywhere." I stated quietly. I wasn't about to mention that the 'someone' I'd ran into was very famous. Mr. Barto would probably fail me then and there. Mr. Barto seemed pleased enough with my excuse and turned back to the whiteboard. He started talking about the proper techniques of staging an interview. I zoned out, thinking about my encounter with Ville. "Kat! Kat!" I felt someone nudge my shoulder and looked over the see the whole class looking at me. "Do you have your report?" Mr. Barto asked. I quickly looked through my notebook. It was gone. I must have dropped it at the coffee shop. "Umm...no, I must have dropped it when my things fell at the coffee shop." I replied. "Have it on my desk by tomorrow morning." Mr. Barto said and moved on to the next person. Immediately after school, I walked back to the coffee shop. The lady behind the counter said she hadn't found my paper. That left Ville. But how was I going to get in touch with him? That's what you get for not backing up your work Kat. I thought to myself angrily. I sighed heavily and sat at a table in the back to think. Maybe I should just wait and Ville will come back and look for me. I stood up. I was going to have to find him sooner rather than later. That paper was worth half my final grade. I told the cashier to call me if Ville came back in, and left my cell number. I decided to try the recording studio. I walked inside, but the guy behind the desk said HIM didn't record there. Next, I tried the guitar shop and finally, after no luck, I gave up and went to the park. I was sitting on a swing, facing the river that was just beginning to freeze. How was I going to find a rockstar by morning? I heard the gravel crunch behind me and turned. Ville was standing there, my paper in hand, a smile on his face. "The lady at the coffee shop said you were looking for me?" Ville said. "How did you know where to find me?" I asked. "Because this is where I come to think. Actually, I just got lucky." He smiled and sat on the swing next to me. He gave me my paper. "Thanks." "No problem." We sat in silence for a few moments. I was thinking of how much more attractive Ville was in person, and about how nice he was being to me, a stranger and a fan. I glanced over at Ville from the corner of my eye, wondering what he was thinking. VILLE: How strange it was to be sitting here in silence with this girl I didn't even know. She seemed to have a sadness about her. I couldn't quite place it. She was beautiful, but damaged. I peeked over at her and saw that she was already looking at me. I smiled and said, "What?" Kat looked away shyly. "Nothing. It's just hard to believe I'm sitting here with the Ville Valo." "Do you want to go out to dinner?" I shocked myself by asking. "Now?" She seemed surprised as well. "Well, yeah. Why not?" Kat shrugged. "Okay, sure." Chez Dominique was the fanciest restaurant I'd ever been to in all my 20 years. The walls were beige with big square lights on them, giving the place some ambience. The tables were square with blanched white table cloths; the chairs were fancy and extremely cushioned and comfortable. "We can't eat here." I said to Ville once we'd gotten inside. Ville looked confused. "Why not?" "It's way too expensive." "So?" "I'd feel more comfortable somewhere else. Can I choose where we eat?" "Fine." Ville smiled. "Where would you like to eat, love?" "Restaurant Kaisaniemi." "That old place?" "Don't you like it?" "It's actually one of my favorites. I'm just surprised you like it." "Well, you don't really know me." I replied with a sly grin. I continued walking toward Kaisaniemi. After a few minutes of walking, I realized I hadn't heard from Ville the whole time. What if he isn't behind me? What if he changed his mind? I turned around and ran smack into Ville. "Oh!" I exclaimed as Ville fell backward, landing in a big pile of snow. I was going to help him up when a second pile fell from the tree above, landing on Ville's head. I nearly died laughing. I was laughing so hard I was snorting. Ville didn't seem nearly as amused, but when he got up, I saw that he was smiling. "Glad I amuse you so." Ville said as he shook the snow from his hair. I put on my straight face and said, "Are you sure you want to go to Kaisaniemi all wet?" I smirked when Ville stuck his tongue out at me. "Would it be weird to ask you to come back to my place for a bit so I can change?" "Look, you're a nice guy, but I just met you and I'm not going to sleep with you." Ville looked stunned. "I-uh-" "Ha! I'm kidding. Which way to your place?" Ville sighed in relief and pulled me in the direction he lived. 


	2. Chapter 2

CHAPTER 2: We walked through the gate to Ville's-would you call it a house or a tower?-and halfway up the walk to the door, Ville face-planted. I burst out laughing. "You know, you're pretty clumsy for a guy who jumps around on stage." I said, helping him up. "I wasn't clumsy until you came around." Ville retorted with a smirk. "Well, I'd better leave, or you might wake up dead tomorrow." I started walking back toward the gate, but Ville grabbed my arm, making me stay. "First of all, I don't want you to leave. Second of all, you can't wake up dead." Ville said matter-of-factly. "Yes, you can." "No, you can't." "Yes. You can." I scooped up a handful of snow and smashed it over his head. His mouth opened and I could tell he was going to come after me for revenge. I took off running for his front door, but it was locked. I was trapped. "Ahh!" I screamed as the cold hit my head and slid down my back under my shirt. I did an about-face and tackled Ville onto the snowy ground. We wrestled like this for about ten more minutes, all the while, laughing and 'arguing' about whether or not you could, in fact, wake up dead. When we finally made it inside, we were soaked and freezing. Ville insisted on putting my clothes in the dryer, and gave me some pajamas and an old button up shirt. We sat across from each other at his bar in the kitchen, drinking hot chocolate. I pulled my dark hair back into a ponytail and said, "Well, that was fun." I had a grin plastered on my face and I knew I must look goofy, but I didn't care. Ville just stared at me inquiringly. "What?" I asked. "It's seven o' clock. We are going to be late getting to dinner." Ville said, his smile slowly growing. I cocked an eyebrow. "I'm going to cook. What do you like?" "Hmmm..." I rested my head on my hand and thought about it. "Can you make spaghetti?" "Of course, love. Just one problem...I don't have the supplies needed." "What do you have the supplies for?" "Probably nothing edible." Ville laughed a little. "Don't worry, darling. I'll go buy things to cook you dinner." "I'll come with you." I hopped from the barstool. "No, you stay here in my pajamas; I'll be back in 20 minutes." "Okay." I plopped back on the barstool and watched Ville leave. What was I supposed to do for 20 minutes? First thing: I had to pee. I ventured in search of the bathroom. I looked around downstairs and finally found it. As weird as it sounds, the bathroom was beautiful. The sink, toilet and claw-foot bathtub were all black porcelain; there was red trim around the white walls and the towels were all red. The floor was white marble; the window was closed and I could see the black shutters outside. I used the bathroom and continued upstairs to see the rest of the tower. There were a couple of rooms up here. I walked to the end of the hall and opened the door; it was obviously Ville's room. The king-size bed had a black comforter (and I'd like to imagine black silk sheets). There were CDs scattered on the dresser, and an ashtray on the bedside table. No snooping. I thought. Go back downstairs and wait for Ville. I turned to head back down to the kitchen and saw Ville leaning on the doorframe. Ville raised an eyebrow and said, "Find what you're looking for?" "I wasn't looking for anything. I was just taking a look around." My heart was pounding; I was sure he could hear it. I waited, but Ville just stared at me and didn't say anything. "Maybe I should go." I tried to walk past Ville, but he put his arm out, stopping me. I swallowed. "I don't want you to leave. I believe you." Ville smiled. "Now, come help me make dinner; I'm a horrible cook." I smiled and followed Ville downstairs to the kitchen. On the counter, there were paper bags filled with the things needed to make spaghetti. Ville pulled out garlic bread and sparkling grape juice. I looked at it questioningly. Ville looked a bit embarrassed. "I don't drink anymore, and this is the closest thing to wine, without actually being wine." I grinned at his discomfort and took the bottle from him, pouring two glasses. "So, if you don't cook, and you don't have any other food around here," I said, looking in the empty fridge. "What do you eat?" I glanced back at him. He was leaning against the counter, looking confused as he read the instructions on the garlic bread. "I usually just order Chinese food. Or pizza." I shook my head and started cooking the spaghetti. Ville didn't really help, just watched and drank grape juice. Finally, I finished our dinner and handed Ville a heaping plate of spaghetti and garlic bread. His grin was so big, it made me smile in response. "Thanks." Ville said happily. After a quiet dinner, I told Ville I had to go. "Why?" Ville asked. "It's nearly nine o' clock." I replied as if it were obvious. "Well, let me walk you." "No, I'll call a cab." I smiled and dialed the number on my cell. Ville closed my cell phone and stuck it in his pocket. "Here." He handed me my dry clothes. "Go change and then I'll walk you home." "Fine." The walk home was cold and Ville lent me his jacket. "Thanks." I said, putting it on. It was his Deep Shadows jacket. "No problem." We were silent for a few moments, until Ville said, "So, how long are you in Finland?" "Until I graduate from the University next month." "Oh." We walked the rest of the way to my apartment without saying anything. When we finally reached my door-Ville walked me all the way upstairs to my apartment-I could tell it was going to be an awkward goodbye. I smiled and gave Ville back his jacket. He folded it over one arm and, before I knew it, he had me squeezed into a hug. "Oh!" After a moment's hesitation, I hugged him back. When he pulled away, I said, "What was that for?" "I had a great time today. I haven't had a lot of fun being sober. Well, aside from being on stage. Thank you." He seemed really sincere. "You're welcome. Thanks for dinner." "Yeah, we should do this again." "Definitely." I was trying not to sound too desperate. And I wasn't really desperate, just excited and happy and every other great emotion all at once. I unlocked my door and walked inside. Right after I closed it, I heard a knock. I opened the door to see Ville holding my cell phone out to me. "Thanks." "See you later." Ville smiled and kissed my cheek. Then he was gone. Inside, I was too happy to do anything but smile. I took a hot shower and put on some pajamas. I made some hot chocolate and went to bed, but my mind was racing and I couldn't get to sleep. I heard my phone ring and looked at the clock beside me. A little after midnight. Who could be calling me this late? "Hello?" My voice was clear from not being asleep yet. "Hey sis!" I heard my twin sister say from the other line. My heart started pounding. Why hadn't I checked the caller-ID? "What do you want?" I could practically see the smile on Nat's face. "I'm in Finland." 


	3. Chapter 3

Information: -Natalie Owens [Nickname: Nat] -Age: 20 Hair: Dark brown, long and straight -Eyes: Hazel Body Type: Slender/Athletic -Style: Preppy -Backstory: Same as Kat's. -Major: Photography at Community College -Belle Grant [Nickname: None] -Age: 20 Hair: Blonde -Eyes: Blue Body Type: Skinny -Style: Preppy -Backstory: Grew up rich, with her mom and multiple stepdads. Her father is also married again, but moved across the country. Belle is a single child, but likes to pretend that Natalie is her sister. They are just alike. -Major: Photography at Community College CHAPTER 3: NAT: I smiled. I knew Kat didn't want me here in Finland; that's why telling her was so fun. I also knew Kat was too humble not to let me stay with her, which is why I asked. "Sure. You can stay with me, I guess. Until you get used to Finland." Kat said. It was after midnight. I had expected Kat to be asleep, but she sounded wide awake when she answered the phone. What have you been up to? I thought mischievously. "Thanks sis. What's your address?" Kat gave me her address. I wrote it down and hung up on her. "What did she say?" My best friend, Belle, asked. "We can stay with her." I smiled, victorious. "But you only asked if you could stay, not both of us." "She knows you're with me. You're always with me. And if she doesn't, then too bad." Belle smirked. She knew I was right. Kat wouldn't mind; she did anything for me. Anything she thought was right. Just then, the cab pulled up to Kat's apartment. Belle and I got out and stretched. This would be fun. KAT: The next day... I had been up all night, with only one hour of sleep, so I decided to email my paper to Mr. Barto and stay home to rest. I closed my laptop and laid back on the bed. I could feel sleep getting ready to overtake me, and I was ready to let it, but I heard a loud crash! and jumped up. I ran into the kitchen and saw broken glass all over the floor. "What happened?" I asked Nat, who was giggling. "I broke a plate, silly." Nat replied. "I'm too tired to deal with this. Clean it up; I'm going to bed." I stalked back into my room, slammed the door closed and crashed. Four hours later, it was almost noon and I felt rejuvenated. I sighed and went to my closet, ready to start the day. I chose a teal cardigan, black skinny jeans, and a white undershirt. I put my hair in a ponytail with my bangs swooping across my face. I pinned them to the side with a bobby pin and went out into the living room. Nate and Belle were watching TV and I jumped, forgetting they were even there. "Where are you going?" Nat asked as I put on my high tops. "Coffee shop." I said, scooping up my jacket, scarf and cell. "Why? We have coffee here." Nat said this as if I were stupid and didn't know I had coffee in my own house. "I know. I go to the coffee shop every morning. And since I slept in a little late today, I have to go redeem myself to the cashier who always has my coffee waiting." I hated explaining myself, and I didn't want to hear what Nat or Belle had to say, so I left quickly and let the door shut behind me. The coffee shop was surprisingly vacant, seeing as how it was lunchtime. I had figured there would be a rush, but the cold weather seemed to be getting to everyone. The usual cashier wasn't there today, so I just ordered my usual and sat at a table near the window. I hadn't brought my laptop, so I just sipped my coffee, not wanting to return home to Nat and Belle. Nat and I might look alike on the outside, but Belle and Nat were twins on the inside. They should be sisters, not Nat and I. I finished the last of my coffee and was getting ready to leave when I got a text. I didn't recognize the number, but the message told me it was Ville. How did he get my number? The message said: Meet me after school. The coffee shop where we met yesterday. -Ville. I smiled. School wouldn't be over for another two hours, so I decided to walk down to the little store on the corner and buy a few things. An hour and a half later, I walked out of the store with a new beige sweater (the winter cold was beginning to get to me as well), some Uggs, and a leather bracelet. I made my way back to the coffee shop and saw that Ville was already waiting. He looked nice today. Duh. He always looks nice. I thought. Ville was wearing loose black skinny jeans, a black button-up shirt, a gray scarf and fingerless gloves. His jacket was hung over the back of his chair. "Hi." I said, sitting across from him. I sat my bags on the floor near my feet and hung my jacket over the back of my chair like his. "Hello." Ville smiled. "Would you like some coffee?" "No thanks." "Okay, I'll be right back." Ville returned a minute later with his own coffee and a plate of hot cinnamon buns. I smiled. These were my favorites. "Thanks." I took one and savored the flavor. "So, how was school?" Ville asked. "Oh, I'm sure it was great." I grinned at the confused look he gave me. "I didn't go." "Why not?" "Let's just say a problem arrived last night around twelve-thirty." "What do you mean?" "Oh, you know. She's about my height, my color hair, same eyes, same face. Evil bitch." "What?" I started laughing. "Her name is Nat. She's my twin sister." "I didn't know you had a twin. Can I meet her?" "I'm sorry, didn't you hear the part where I called her an evil bitch?" I got really serious. I didn't want Nat or Belle anywhere near Ville. They were only trouble. For me, anyway. "I did. I would still like to meet her and get my own opinion of her, though." "Well, you won't have to wait long. Here she comes now." "Hey sis." Nat came over and gave me a hug. I didn't move. I knew what she was doing. Her I-love-my-sister-so-much act. "Who's this?" She motioned to Ville. "Ville." I said simply. Ville stuck his hand out for her to shake, but she hugged him as well. I put my uneaten half of a cinnamon bun back on the plate; I had lost my appetite. Belle stood there watching the whole thing with a smile plastered across her sharp features. She was as much a part of this as Nat. I glared at her and she frowned. "We have to go. We just stopped to see if this place is as good as Kat made it out to be." Nat said. I fake smiled at her. "Bye." I said. "No hug?" I stood and hugged my devious twin. "See you at home." Nat smiled and waved goodbye. And good riddance. I thought. "She seemed nice enough." Ville said, as if I had been lying all along. "Right." I said. I knew he wouldn't believe me. "Let's get out of here." Ville held his hand out for me to take. I picked up my bags and obliged. 


	4. Chapter 4

CHAPTER 4: "How much farther?" I whined as Ville led me by the hand through a little patch of forest on the edge of town. "Not too far, stop whining." Ville replied with a chuckle. "Ugh, but we've been walking so long!" I continued. "We've been walking for ten minutes." Ville said, pulling me through one last bunch of trees. "We're here." When I finally stumbled out after Ville, I saw a frozen lake surrounded by trees, with a little pier that held a bench on the end. "It's beautiful." I said, looking around me in awe. "I know. Come on." Ville started toward the lake, but when we reached the pier, I stopped. "What's wrong?" "I'm terrified of water." "You take showers, right?" Ville said with a smirk. "Of course, but this is different. When I was small, my mom got drunk and took us to the lake." I could hear my voice shaking. "I told her I was afraid, and she told me the only way to conquer my fear was to just jump in. I kicked and screamed, but she threw me in anyway. Nat had to go in after me." I wiped a tear from my cheek and looked at Ville. Ville took my hands in his and looked at me with his emerald eyes. "I would never let anything happen to you." He cupped my face in his hand. "You can trust me." I sniffled. "I trust you." Ville guided me to the bench. I sat down and felt at ease. I knew Ville wouldn't let harm come to me. I didn't know how I knew; I just did. I put my fingers between my knees and took a deep breath of cool air. "It really is beautiful." I said. "Yeah, it is." Ville replied with a sigh. I glanced over to see Ville already looking at me. "What?" I asked, feeling self-conscious. "Let me take you out tonight." "We already tried that, remember?" I answered pointedly. "Didn't really work out too well." "Okay, then come to our show tomorrow night." I smiled and said, "Okay." Ville walked me to my door again and told me he'd text me where to meet him before the show. I walked into my apartment to find two half-naked guys on my sofa. Nat and Belle were in their underwear. They were playing Strip Poker. "Hey Kat." Nat said. "Want to play? Harold and Jerry are pretty bad at it." The guys shrugged with big grins. "No." I went to my room. I sighed. How long were they going to be here, anyway? I slammed down onto my bed and quickly fell asleep. The next day, I woke up around ten, and found four naked figures on my living room floor. Disgusted, I kicked them awake. "You and you, get out!" I yelled at the two guys. "And you guys scrub my floor!" I told Nat and Belle. "If you can't respect me any more than this, get out!" I stalked back to my room for a shower. I decided not to wear anything special until tonight. I pulled on my blue hoodie with my name on the sleeves, a pair of sweats and threw my hair up in a ponytail. Sitting in the window seat, I got on my laptop to check my email. Mr. Barto had graded my paper: B+. I sighed-not as good as I had hoped. Mr. Barto also said classes were cancelled Monday due to inclimate weather. The weather probably wasn't going to improve, either. The day went by uneventfully. Nat and Belle had left after cleaning, probably not wanting to deal with me. Around three o' clock, I got a text from Ville: Meet me outside the coffee shop at 5. I texted him back: Okay (= and decided to get ready. Rummaging through my closet, I pulled out my black long-sleeve mesh and a black tank-top to go underneath. Next, I put on my dark blue skinny jeans and my high-top Converse. For makeup, I went with simple eyeliner and mascara, and left my hair in it's long, natural curls. I figured I should let Nat know I'd be gone a while, so I got out my cell and dialed her number. No answer. I left her a message, then sent her a text: Hey, I'm going to a concert. Be home late. Don't wait up. A minute later, Nat replied: OMG! The HIM concert?! I'll be there too! See you tonight! 3. I sighed. Of course she would be there. This night couldn't get any worse, at least. 


	5. Chapter 5

CHAPTER 5: Ville was early, as usual. When I got to the coffee shop, he was on the bench, hands in his pockets. His curly hair was poking out from under his beanie. "Hey." Ville said when he saw me approaching. "Hey." I replied with a smile. He was so cute. "Ready?" "Yeah." We took off walking toward the Hartwall Areena, which was five blocks away. Neither of us said anything for a whole block. The silence was starting to get to me, so I said, "Why did you invite me tonight?" Ville looked at me almost quizzically. "I don't know. I just feel like we connect; like I can trust you. And I like that feeling." I felt myself blush. "Can I ask you a personal question?" Ville shrugged. "Sure." "Why are you single? I mean, don't think I'm hitting on you, but you're just a genuinely nice guy, and you're handsome. I don't get it." "My relationships don't typically turn out how I hoped they would. Jonna was insecure and because of that, we fought a lot. The others were similar. I'm on the road a lot, and they can't handle it, I guess." By this time, we were to the venue. Ville told the-I guess he would be like a bouncer?-that I was with him and we were let inside. Ville led me out onto the stage. The arena was empty, except for the stagehands. "Wow. This place is huge. How many people does it hold?" I asked. "About 13,000." I felt my mouth drop open. "That's a lot." "Yeah, and we're sold out." Ville grinned at me. I smiled back. "That's amazing!" I jumped and hugged Ville, then pulled away shyly. We both blushed. "Umm...I have to go get ready. You can just hang out backstage for a bit. They're going to let people in now." About that time, people started filing in excitedly. I turned back, but Ville was already gone. I made my way backstage and sat in a chair I found against a wall. I was watching everyone working and carrying equipment, when a guy came up and asked me if I was lost. He was about average height, slim, and dressed in all black. His blonde hair hung low over his eyes, an unlit cigarette hanging from his mouth. "No. I'm here with Ville. He had to get ready, so I'm waiting." "Mind if I join you?" The stranger asked. "Go for it." Blondie sat down on the floor beside me and lit his cigarette. "Umm...Are you allowed to smoke in here?" "Nope. But I didn't want to miss an opportunity to speak to a pretty girl." The guy smiled confidently. "We should probably go outside before you get in trouble." "We?" He raised an eyebrow. I rolled my eyes. "Come on." Outside the venue, the line was long. Blondie and I walked in the opposite direction around the corner. "So, what is your name beautiful?" Blondie asked. "Kat. What's yours?" "Austin." "That doesn't sound very Finnish." "My mother is American." Austin stated. "Oh." Austin flicked his cigarette butt and moved closer. He was only about an inch from me. I looked over at him and scooted a few inches away. "So, are you and Valo dating?" "No. We're good friends, though." Austin smirked. "What?" I asked slowly. "Nothing, nothing." Austin got in front of me, his fingers caressing my face. I sucked in a sharp breath. "Don't be afraid." "Austin, stop." I said. "Stop what? This?" Austin kissed my neck, then pinned me against the wall with a hand over my mouth. NAT: I showed the bouncer my backstage pass and started seeking out Ville. I had made Belle wait by the entrance. If this was going to work, she had to be out of sight. My good friend Austin was keeping Kat busy. I smiled when I saw Ville hanging near a dressing room. This shouldn't be too hard. I sashayed over to make my move. 


	6. Chapter 6

CHAPTER 6: I pulled the comforter up to my chin, the tears no longer flowing. Last night had been the worst night of my life. After Austin and I had gone outside for him to smoke, we had talked for a bit, and then things had gotten out of control. Austin had tried to make a move on me, and when I resisted, he forced me. Yes, Austin had raped me. I had no idea where Ville had been, but he had called at least five times just this morning. I wasn't answering. Ville had promised he'd never let anything happen to me, and had lied. NAT: Dear Diary, Last night was amazing! Ville had no idea I wasn't Kat. At first he seemed suspicious when I was all over him, but he eventually warmed up to it. After his great performance, we hung out with the band, then made out for a few hours. I finally made it home around two this morning. Ville to walk me up, but I told him no because I was afraid Kat would be awake. Belle went home with Austin, so everything worked out perfectly! Kat has been holed up in bed all day. I don't know what's wrong with her. Oh, well. At least she doesn't know Ville and I had sex. She would FREAK OUT. Belle walked in just as I closed my journal. She looked like she'd had a fun night. "So, how was Austin?" I asked. "He's an asshole." Belle answered blatantly. "Why? What happened?" "He tried to get me to have sex with him, and when I said no, he tried to force me. So I left and stayed in a motel." "Why didn't you just come back here?" "You know why." Then I realized she must mean Ville. "We'll talk about this later." I said as Kat came out of her room. "Did you say Austin tried to rape you?" Kat asked Belle. "Yeah, he did." Belle replied. "Why?" "Because last night, he did rape me." Belle gasped. "What? When?" "Outside the concert. I went outside with him so he could smoke, and he raped me." Belle looked at me wide-eyed. "We have to go." I said, standing and pulling Belle out of the apartment. When we got to the park, I said, "You have to befriend her and find out about Ville." "What?" Bell asked. "Your sister got raped because of us." "Exactly. You guys kind of have something in common." Belle gaped at me. "What?" I asked impatiently. "I'll do it. But only if you get me hooked up with Bam." "Fine." We shook on it. KAT: I threw my phone down on the bed as it told me I had another message from Ville. Just hear what he has to say for himself. I thought. I picked up my phone and Belle entered my room. "Hi." She said. "Can we talk?" Putting my phone back down, I said, "Uh..Sure, I guess." Belle came over and sat on my bed. "Do you want to talk about what happened last night?" I raised an eyebrow. "With you? Not really, no." "Why not? I understand. It almost happened to me, too." "That's the thing-you don't understand. It almost happened to you." "Yeah, I know. But weren't you with Ville last night? Where was he?" "Get out." "But-" "Get. Out." I opened my bedroom door for her. When Belle had left the room, I slammed the door after her. I sat on my bed. The first text from Ville said: Hey! Last night was fun! The next four were duplicates, but last one didn't make sense: Call me. I just realized that you must have been drunk last night. What happened between us was probably a mistake. I clenched my fist and dialed Ville's number. Nat had done this. 


	7. Chapter 7

CHAPTER 7: KAT: "Hello." Ville answered on the second ring. "Hey Ville." I replied. "Kat? Hey!" "We need to talk." "Well come over and we can chat. Last night was great." "Ville, that's what we need to talk about." "Oh, you don't agree?" "I'll be there soon." "Okay, I'll make some hot chocolate." I heard some scuffling in the background. "Wow, that was fast." "What are you talking about?" "You're here already." "No, I'm not. Ville, that's Nat. Just go along with whatever she says. I'll be there soon." I hung up and left. VILLE: I walked downstairs to get the door, feeling very confused. If this was Nat now, was it Nat I'd been with last night? I opened the door. "Hey babe!" Nat said, throwing her arms around me. "Uhh..Hey." "Is something wrong?" Nat asked. You're supposed to be acting normal idiot. I cleared my throat. "Yeah, no. Everything's perfect. Why do you ask?" "I'm not sure. You seem distant or something." "Nope. Perfectly fine." I put on a big grin. Nat came inside and plopped on my sofa, obviously comfortable. "So, last night was fun. Wanna do it again?" I smiled. "Sure. But how about some coffee first?" I moved to go to the kitchen, but Nat was already in front of me with her arms around me. There was a knock on the door and I breathed out in relief. Kat must be here. When I opened the door, it turned out to be Bam. He burst through the door and hugged me. When he saw Nat, he smiled. "Umm..Can you come back later?" I asked. "You two busy?" Bam asked, wiggling his eyebrows. "Something like that." "By all means, carry on. I'll just chill down here." "Bam-" Just then, Kat burst through the door. "Oh, twins!" Bam's face fell when he realized no one else was smiling. KAT: I burst through Ville's door to find Bam, Ville and Nat looking back at me. Bam's expression showed confusion; Ville's showed worry; Nat's was horror. "Kat! What are you doing here?!" Nat asked. I crossed my arms. "You did this? You put Austin up to rape me? All so you could get Ville?! We're not even together!" I was screaming now. "No-" "Rape?" Ville asked. I looked at him. "We'll talk about it later." "No, I think we need to talk now." "Yeah, what's going on?" Bam asked. "Why don't you tell them Nat?" I said. All eyes were on Nat now. VILLE: "Rape?" I asked. Now I was infuriated. "We'll talk about it later." Kat replied. I felt my teeth grind. "No, I think we need to talk now." "Yeah, what's going on?" Bam asked. He looked about ready to bolt. "Why don't you tell them Nat?" Kat said as we all turned to her twin. "I wanted to be with Ville." Nat stated simply. "So you couldn't just be yourself?" I asked. "Oh, come on Ville. You weren't complaining last night." Nat got a smartass grin on her face. Kat scoffed. "You two slept together?" she asked. I saw the pain on her face when she looked at me. "To be fair, I thought it was you." I said in my defense. "You knew it was me." Nat said. "Besides, I know you and Kat have only known each other a couple of days, but you should know she wouldn't sleep with you on the first date." She had a point. Why hadn't I realized? I mentally punched myself as Kat actually slapped Nat across the face. BAM: What the fuck is going on? KAT: Nat stared at me in disbelief. I could hardly believe I'd slapped her. I was on the verge of tears. I had known Nat was malicious, but I never thought she would do something like this. "I'm outta here." Nat moved past me and out the door. I followed her. "Nat, wait!" I called. "What?" Nat turned to face me. She was crying. "I'm sorry I hit you." "No, you're not. You think I deserved it. And I did." Nat fell to her knees in the snow. I sank down in front of her. "I'm just like Mom, Kat. I don't know what to do. I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry." I wrapped my arms around her. I was crying now, too. "It's okay Nat. I forgive you. You have to forgive yourself; you have to forgive Mom. It's time to move on." Nat hugged me tight. "I'll work on it. Me and Belle are leaving today. You go be happy with Ville." Nat rose and started walking away. She turned one last time. "I love you Kat." "Love you, too." I turned back to Ville and Bam. "Come talk to me and tell me what happened." Ville said. "I'm going home." I smiled and left. Before Nat and Belle had left, Belle had apologized. I had accepted. They had left a few minutes after I got back from Ville's. Now it was Tuesday morning and I was in Mr. Barto's class trying not to think about any of it. And failing miserably. Finally, the bell rang and I thought I'd escaped, but my friend, Allie, caught up to me as I was leaving. "Hey." She said. "Want to go out tonight? School is killing me!" I tried to smile. "No, I'm not feeling so well. I think I'm going to stay in tonight." Allie shrugged. "Okay. Oh my God! Ville Valo is coming this way!" "Kat!" Ville called. I sighed. Already, a crowd was beginning to form. "What is it Ville?" I said exasperatedly. "You haven't returned my calls. Can we talk?" "Fine. Come on." I led Ville to the lake he had taken me to only days earlier. I sat on the bench, still feeling secure with Ville beside me. "I'm so sorry about everything that happened. I had no idea. I realize now that I should have known." Ville looked at me and I knew he was sincere. I smiled. "I believe you." I took his hand in mine. "Maybe we should start as friends." Ville kissed my cheek. "I would like that, darling." 6 Months Later... I looked out at the lake. It was even more beautiful in the summer. Though the air still had a chill, I felt warm inside. Today Ville was returning home from HIM's US tour. I hadn't seen my best friend in nearly four months. Hopefully he was as happy as me. I rose from the bench, which I had secretly declared as our bench, and headed toward the airport to meet Ville and the others. The airport was loaded down with tourists. I eventually made my way to the entrance and waited for them to come out. Finally, I saw the band coming-Ville last, with a girl in tow. She had long black hair, tall and skinny. My heart dropped. Snap out of it Kat. You and Ville are just friends. He confirmed that. I stood up and walked over to them. They were loading their bags into a black van. Ville hugged me when I got near. His friend shot me a look. "Hey Kat!" Ville exclaimed. "Hey." I replied. "How was the tour?" "Amazing! Kat, this is Sandra. Sandra, Kat." I smiled at Sandra and she smirked and raised an eyebrow. Ville didn't seem to notice the glares Sandra and I were giving one another and continued. "So, Kat, let's hang out tonight. We have to catch up." "Yeah, okay." "Can I join the two of you?" Sandra asked. "Actually, I'd prefer it be just Kat and I." Ville said. "We haven't seen one another in almost four months." I was smiling on the inside, but on the outside I tried my best to look innocent. Sandra didn't say anything, just got in the van. Ville shrugged. The guys (and Sandra) had dropped me at my apartment. Ville and I were meeting at our bench in two hours, so I was trying to find something suitable. I decided it was warm enough for a dress, as long as I wore leggings. I chose a blue hippie-like dress with fringe and gray knit leggings. I let my naturally curly hair flow down my back, and put on the Uggs I had bought last year. I sighed. Last year had been such a disaster. I hadn't talked much to Nat since, but she told me (in the little time I had talked to her) she was dating Chris Brown. Not really sure how that came about. Of course, Belle was with her, falling to her knees in worship. I ended up arriving to the banch late. Ville was there, talking on the phone. Probably to Sandra. I silently walked over and sat beside him. When he got off the phone, I said, "Sorry I'm late." "No problem." Ville replied. "So, did you like Sandra?" "I don't know. I don't think she likes me much." "She'll warm up to you." "How did you two meet anyhow?" "At a show. I asked her to come to Finland with me, and she said yes." "So you guys hardly know each other?" I cocked an eyebrow. "Well, we met on our second stop, and she was with us for the rest of the tour." "Oh." "Yeah. How have things been here." "Pretty good, I suppose. I'm going to have a movie night tonight. Would you care to join me?" "I can't. Sandra made me promise to show her some of Finland." "I see. Too good to hang out with your best friend now?" "Noooo. How about you come over for dinner this Friday?" "Oh, you cook now?" "No, not really. But Sandra does." "Great." I said blandly. "Aww. Come on." Ville put his arm around my shoulder and gave me puppy dog eyes. "Fine. But that's still four long days away!" "Get over it." Ville smiled and stuck his tongue out at me. I narrowed my eyes at him. At that moment, phone beeped: ONE NEW MESSAGE. I opened it. "Who is it?" Ville asked. "My new friend, Aiden." "New friend, huh?" "Yeah, he wants to get coffee so I have to go." "We haven't seen each other in four months!" "Get over it." I stuck my tongue out at him. "I'll see you Friday." "Are you bringing Aiden?" "Maybe." I kissed Ville's cheek. "See you Friday." "See you." VILLE: I watched Kat ditch me to go hang out with Aiden. Had I been replaced? No, Kat wouldn't do that to me. I rose from the bench and started walking back to my tower where Sandra and the guys were waiting. The air was chilly and I stuffed my hands in my pockets. Maybe Kat will bring Aiden to dinner Friday and I can judge him for myself. I thought. "No." I told myself. "It doesn't matter. You have Sandra." People gave me weird looks for talking to myself, but I ignored them. Finally, I got back to my tower and pushed all thoughts of Kat out of my mind. KAT: Aiden was looking good as usual. His dark hair barely touched his eyebrow ring. He had a silver lip ring, and was dressed in all black. I smirked when I saw him. "What?" Aiden asked. "You look like you're going to a funeral." "Maybe I am." "Who are you, Johnny Cash?" I joked. Aiden flicked me in the cheek. "Ouch!" "Come on, you big baby." Aiden led me to the coffee shop where Ville and I had first met. That seemed like a century ago. We sat in a booth in the back. Through the window, I could see that more and more people were beginning to pour out onto the streets. The summer sun was making everyone cheerful. "So, how was Ville?" Aiden asked when he had brought us each back a coffee. "He's good." I said simply. "Doesn't sound like you mean that." Aiden had come to know me well. "Well, he has a new girlfriend. He met her on tour." "And you don't like that?" "I don't know. I know it shouldn't matter; we're best friends. It just seems like...I don't know." "I know you guys made the decision to be friends first, but maybe now that's all you'll be." "Maybe." I guess Aiden is right. "Or...you and I could try to be together." "What are you talking about? We're friends." "So? You and Valo are friends. Come on, let's just give it a try." I thought about it for a second. If I dated Aiden, that might make Ville jealous. No, Kat. You can't date Aiden just to make Ville jealous. That's not right. "I'll think about it. I don't want to do it for the wrong reasons." "Fair enough." About thirty minutes later, we left the coffee shop and Aiden was walking me home when I spotted Ville and Sandra a few feet away. I knew that if Ville saw me, he would want to talk, and I really wasn't in the mood. I was too confused, and I was frustrated because I was confused. I mean, what was there to be confused about, really? Ville had Sandra and I guess now I had Aiden. I grabbed Aiden's hand and intertwined our fingers. "I see him, you know." Aiden said. He didn't unlock our fingers. "Who?" I replied innocently. "Ville. You can use me; I don't mind. But if you do, then you're gonna owe me." Aiden winked at me and I smiled. He was such a good friend. I felt cruel. But I couldn't think about that because Ville and Sandra were heading right for us. I swallowed hard and put on a smile. "Hey Ville, Sandra." I said. Ville looked at my hand in Aiden's; he did not seem happy. "Hey." Ville replied. "Who's this?" "Ville, Aiden; Aiden, Ville." Aiden stuck his out to Ville who shook it politely. Well, at least everyone seemed to be playing nice. For now. "Aiden, this is Sandra." I said. Sandra smiled. I guess you would call it a smile? "What are you guys up to?" Ville asked. "Aiden was just walking me home." I replied. "I see. Would the two of you care to join Sandra and I? We were just going to go to the park." Sandra glanced up at Ville, obviously not wanting us to join them. "Want to?" I asked Aiden. Aiden looked at Sandra, smiled and said, "Yeah, sure." I wanted to kiss him right there. But that would be inappropriate. We weren't even together. "This way." Ville said, locking our arms together. He was holding Sandra's hand on the other side of him. This seemed really awkward. 


	8. Chapter 8

CHAPTER 8: We reached the park about fifteen minutes later. Luckily for me, my apartment was only about a block away, so I didn't have far to walk, but everyone else had a pretty good way to go. Unluckily for me, the three of them could spend that time talking about anything. I pushed that thought out of my mind; I'd worry about it when I got home. When we got inside the park gates, Ville said, "I think Sandra and Kat need to get more aquainted, and Aiden and I need to do the same. Why don't the two of you go that way." Ville motioned to Sandra and I. "And Aiden and I will go this way." "Sounds good to me." Aiden said. I shot him a look. God knows what the two of them were going to talk about. I gave Ville a glare. He shrugged. "Come on." Ville said as he led Aiden away, leaving Sandra and I alone. I started walking in the opposite direction of Ville and Aiden. I didn't turn to see if Sandra was following me; I didn't care. I already knew she didn't like me, so what was the point in getting 'more aquainted'? There was no point. A few minutes later, Sandra said, "I know, you know." I did an about-face, almost running into her. "Know about what?" "You and Ville." "Yeah? What about us?" I crossed my arms over my chest. "You like him, don't you?" "We're best friends. That's it. You have him all to yourself." I turned and started walking again. I had known this wasn't going to be fun. VILLE: "So, how did you and Kat meet?" I asked Aiden when we were away from the girls. "School." Aiden stated simply. "Oh, cool. It's really great that she made another friend besides me. I'm always-" "Gone? Yeah, I noticed." "Look, I don't mean to pry." "Whatever. I love Kat. And I know you do, too. But you're never around when she needs you." "That's not my fault." "Yeah, I know. You're a big rockstar. Get over yourself and open your eyes. Before you lose her." "We're best friends, Aiden. That's all. You can date her if you want." "No, I can't. She loves you. Don't ask me why." I stayed silent, thinking. Kat loved me? How long had she felt that way? I couldn't remember how long I'd felt that way about her. But I was with Sandra. I'd made Sandra move to a whole other country for me. I couldn't just leave her now. Kat deserved to be happy with someone better than me. Aiden was right, I would never be able to be there for her. Maybe Kat and I should talk. "Let's get back to the girls." I said a few minutes later. We turned and walked back the way we had came. KAT: "No, Kat. Listen to me." Sandra said. I looked her in the face. "What is it?" I asked. "I don't want you two to be friends anymore." "Ha! What? You actually think Ville is going to go for that? We've been friends for over almost seven months now. He's known you, what, four months?" "You had better stay away from him." "Or what, Sandra?" Sandra slapped me across the face. I punched her. She went down, only to come back up clawing me in the arms like a crazy person. I tried to push her off of me, but tripped. Now she was on top of me, hitting me. I couldn't seem to get her to roll over so I could get on top of her instead. Finally, I grabbed her by the throat, choking her. She stopped hitting me and tried to pull my hands away. Just as I finally pushed her off of me, Ville and Aiden came running over. "What is going on?" Ville said, a worried expression on his face. "She went crazy and attacked me!" Sandra said. "What?!" I yelled back. "No, Ville she slapped me first!" Ville looked back and forth between the two of us. "Come on Sandra." I started crying and fell to my knees. "Ville, wait!" "Let's go Kat. I'll take you home." Aiden said, helping me up off the ground. I let Aiden take me back to my apartment, almost in a daze. Aiden cleaned my scratches and my bleeding mouth. Then, he made me put on some pajamas and helped me into bed, tucking the covers around me. "Do you want me to stay?" Aiden asked when I was all taken care of. "No. You go home and get some rest. And lock the door on your way out. Thanks." I replied. I didn't hear Aiden leave, but I knew he had. I just lied in bed crying, trying to understand what had just happened. But nothing could help me understand. Ville had chosen Sandra over me. Why? I just didn't get it. The next day, Aiden called me several times, but I didn't answer. That evening, I heard a knock on the door. I knew it was Aiden, but I didn't want to see anyone. Unfortunately, he had a spare key to my apartment and let himself in. AIDEN: I let myself into Kat's apartment. It looked exactly the same as it had the day before. I closed the door behind me and went to Kat's bedroom. She was right where I had left her. It broke my heart to see her like this. All because of Ville. What was the big deal with him anyway? So he was a rockstar. So what? I walked over to the bed and kneeled in front of Kat. She just stared at me, not saying anything. I moved a strand of hair from her face. "Kat, honey, you have to eat, move..Do something." I said. Kat took a deep breath. "I don't want to. I just want to lie here." "Kat, he isn't coming. He obviously doesn't care that you're lying here in pain." "Leave me alone." I flinched. "Why?" I asked. Now, I was angry. "I'm here for you; he isn't. You know what I said is the truth." "I said to leave me alone." "Kat-" "I love him! Aiden, you, better than anyone, know that." "But I love you!" I grabbed Kat's shocked face and kissed her. She pushed me away and got out of bed. "Get out." Kat said. She turned her back to me and started searching through her closet. "Just remember that I was there for you when Valo was in another country!" I slammed the door after me and started the walk to Ville's house. KAT: I was so sick of everyone. Everyone. Aiden with his stupid 'I love you', Sandra with her sneaky ways, and Ville. Ville especially. I didn't care if I ever saw him again. I ripped my clothes out of my closet and started stuffing them in my suitcases. I didn't want to be in Finland for one more second. This country had ruined my life. Okay, I had ruined my own life. But it had happened here, and I didn't want to be here anymore. I was done. With Aiden. With Sandra. And with Ville, too. VILLE: I was just getting back from taking Sandra to her interview. She would probably be there for a little while, giving me time to think. Or so I thought. Because when I sat down, I heard a knock on my door. I opened the door to see Aiden standing there. I raised an eyebrow. "Ville, you have to go talk to Kat. She won't listen to anything I have to say." Aiden said, barely taking a breath. "I can't. I'm busy." I tried shutting the door, but Aiden pushed his way inside. "Why can't you pull your stupid rockstar head out of your ass and see that Kat loves you?!" "I love Sandra!" I yelled back. "No, you don't. And you'd better go talk to Kat before she does something stupid. You were supposed to be her best friend. Best friends don't just forget about one another. She needs a friend right now, and unfortunately, it can't be me. It has to be you, Ville." I sighed. I knew he was right. I had chosen Sandra over Kat. I didn't even understand why I'd done it. I grabbed my keys and left with Aiden. When we got to Kat's, Aiden waited outside. I knocked on her apartment door. No answer. I went ahead and walked inside. I heard some noises coming from Kat's room and went to see what she was doing. In her room, Kat was packing her belongings. I knocked on her door and she stopped packing and looked at me. She seemed angry, but I knew her too well. I could tell that she was sad. Under the surface, it was as if she was falling apart. I had done this. I had caused the girl I loved this much pain. "Kat, what are you doing?" I asked softly. "I'm leaving Finland. I can't be here anymore, Ville." Kat said as she started packing again. I walked over to her and caught her hands in mine. She tried to fight me, but I wouldn't let go so she just gave up. "Look at me, Kat." I said. She did. "You can't leave." "Why not? All Finland has brought me is trouble. My friend is in love with me, but I'm in love with my other friend, who's girlfriend beat me up? Sounds like a problem, wouldn't you say?" Kat turned away, but I made her look at me again. "Kat, I love you." "What?" "I love you. I don't know when I realized it. Maybe when I heard about Aiden, or maybe before that. But I'm leaving Sandra and I want to be with you. Forever." KAT: "I love you. I don't know when I realized it. Maybe when I heard about Aiden, or maybe before that. But I'm leaving Sandra and I want to be with you. Forever." I heard the words tumble out of Ville's mouth, but they didn't make sense. If he loved me, why did he choose Sandra over me at the park? Or maybe I was over-analyzing it. "Why did you leave with Sandra at the park?" I asked. "I was confused. Aiden had just told me he loved you and given me this big lecture on how I wasn't right for you. And I listened to him. I thought you deserved better than me. I wanted you to be happy." Ville said, caressing my face. "I am happy. With you." Ville pulled me closer and kissed me longingly. I had been waiting for this moment for what felt like forever. And it was everything I had expected it to be. Ville's tongue outlined my lip, asking for permission to enter my mouth. I gave it. In this kiss was everything I had been too afraid to say, everything I had thought I'd lost. Ville was my everything. 


	9. Chapter 9

CHAPTER 9: VILLE: "I know, Sandra. I know." I said. "I just don't think it's fair to you if we're together. I love Kat." I felt the sting as Sandra slapped me across the face. "I moved all the way to Finland for you!" She yelled yet again. "I thought we were going to be together, if not forever, for a long time at least." I sighed and said, "I know. I'm sorry." "Whatever. You'll pay for this Ville." And with that, Sandra grabbed up her things and left me alone in my tower. I pursed my lips. That hadn't gone as well as I'd hoped. Oh, well. I was going to be late meeting up with Bam. Last time Bam had been in town, things hadn't been going prettily. Kat and Nat were fighting, I'd slept with the wrong twin. There was crying and screaming. It was ridiculously dramatic. Now, hopefully, things would be okay while Bam was here. God knows, I needed to just hang out. I was meeting Bam at Kaisaniemi, the place where Kat and I were supposed to have our first date almost seven months ago. Now, Kat and I were together and it was amazing. I rounded the corner and saw Sandra standing there. She was just staring at me. "Ville, can you come here for a second?" She asked. I sighed. "Sure, I guess." Sandra took me down a little alley. "What is it Sandra? I have somewhere to be." Sandra didn't reply, but four big guys came out from the shadows, surrounding me. This wasn't good. KAT: It was nearly nine o' clock and I still hadn't heard back from Ville. I'd called, texted. Nothing. I decided to call Bam. "Hello?" "Bam? Have you seen Ville?" "No. He was supposed to me hours ago, but he never showed. I don't know where he is." This was odd. Something was wrong. "I'm calling Sandra." "Do you think she knows where he is?" "I'm not sure. But maybe she's talked to him." After I'd hung up with Bam, I dialed Sandra's number. I was beginning to think she wasn't going to answer, but she finally picked up. "Hello?" Sandra wasn't very fond of me, I knew, but the venom in her voice just reinforced that. "Um..Have you talked to Ville? Bam and I can't find him." "Maybe he just doesn't want to talk to you." "Yeah, maybe. Or perhaps something happened." Just then, I heard the signal telling me I had a call waiting. I didn't recognize the number, but anything would be better than talking to Sandra. "I gotta go." I flashed over to the other line. "Hello?" "Yes, is this Katerina Owens?" The voice replied. "This is she." "I'm calling from the Helsinki Hospital on behalf of Ville Valo." "Ville's there? What's wrong with him?" "Ma'am, he's asking for you. We can talk when you get here." "Okay." After I got off the phone with the doctor, I called Bam and told him to meet me there. This was bad. And I had a feeling I knew who was behind it. At the hospital, Bam and I ran up to the receptionist. She told us to wait for the doctor in the waiting room. We sat side by side on the floor; all the seats were taken. I tried to control my emotion, but I was close to my breaking point. What if I lost Ville? He was my everything now. And I could only imagine how Bam was feeling. Ville was his best friend. I looked up at the other people waiting. I wondered why they were here. Families and friends in some way, all in pain. I felt for them. One couple was in the corner crying on one another. Another family were holding each other, praying to God. I had always hated hospitals. There was so much pain, and death here. It made me even more sad just to think about it. Bam and I waited for what felt like an eternity. Eventually, Bam fell asleep, his head on my shoulder. There was no possible way I could sleep. Not now. I was so nervous and restless that I picked all my nail polish off and I was pretty sure I didn't even have nails left to put more polish on. After what felt like hours, the doctor came out and asked who was here for Ville. I stood up, forgetting about Bam. He fell to the floor, but stood when he saw the doctor. The doctor's face looked grim. Not a good sign. I couldn't catch my breath. I was afraid of what was coming. "Are you Ville's only family?" I nearly fainted. 


	10. Chapter 10

CHAPTER 10: BAM: "Are you Ville's only family?" I had to hold Kat up; she was so distraught. I didn't really know what to do. I sat her down where we were before and asked the doctor if there was somewhere we could talk alone. We went into an empty conference room. The doctor sat across from me at the table, his paperwork opened in front of him. "Are you Ville's only family?" "No, his parents are in Hungary." "Well, can you get in touch with them?" "I can try. Listen, is he okay or what?" "He was beaten pretty badly. Whoever did this didn't want him to live through it." "What does that mean?" "He just got out of surgery. He has a few broken ribs, some stitches in his head, a concussion and a broken leg. Aside from all that and some bruises, he is okay." "So he'll be fine, then?" What a relief. "Yes. But do you have any idea who did this?" Just then, Kat burst into the room. She looked pretty awful. Her makeup was running down her face and her clothes were wrinkled from sitting in the floor for hours. "Is he okay?" "Yeah, he'll be fine." I assured her. "But do you know who did it?" "I have an idea." Kat said. "Can I see him?" "Sure." the doctor replied. "But I need Bam to stay here. Ville is room 201." I watched Kat leave and knew she would want revenge on whoever she thought did this to Ville. So did I. KAT: I walked into Ville's room and saw him lying on the hospital bed. He was bruised pretty badly. I walked over to him and saw that he had a little line of stitches on his upper left forehead and a cast on his right leg. His eyes were closed, but I wasn't sure if he was asleep. I sat down and took his hand in mine. He squeezed my hand slightly and I nearly started crying again with relief. Taking a deep breath, I lightly ran my fingers through his hair. He opened his eyes. I stared into those deep green eyes and Ville smiled a little. "Come on." Ville scooted over in the bed and I climbed in beside him. We fell asleep like this, forgetting for the moment that we weren't the only two people in the world. 


	11. Chapter 11

CHAPTER 11:

The next morning, I awoke to the sound of Bam practically screaming into his cell phone. I wasn't sure who the Hell he was talking to, but it was really annoying. I got up, opened the door and made him leave. Surprisingly, he hadn't woken up Ville, who lay snuggled-or as snuggled as one can be in a hospital with a broken leg and broken ribs-with one arm out across the bed where I had been. I smiled and decided to get us something for breakfast besides awful hospital food.

After pulling on my jacket and my shoes, I ventured out into the hall to see what Bam was yelling about. When I found Bam, he was off the phone, sitting in the waiting room with his head in his hands. I sat beside him and put my hand on his shoulder lightly. He didn't move.

"What's wrong?" I asked. "Who were you yelling at?"

"Sandra. She called to 'check in' on Ville. I asked her if she knew what happened and she just told me that he deserved whatever he got."

"Can you say psycho ex-girlfriend?" I joked. But inside, I was just as serious about this as Bam was. I was going to get revenge on Sandra for what she had done to Ville-or rather paid someone else to do. "I'm going to get some real food. Do you want anything?"

"No, I'm not hungry. Is Ville awake?"

"He wasn't, but he might be now. I'll be back soon, okay?"

"Yeah." I turned to walk away, but Bam grabbed my wrist, stopping me. "Don't do anything stupid."

"Whatever do you mean?" I asked innocently.

"Seriously."

"Yeah, okay."

I walked out of the hospital and immediately called Sandra. No answer. Figures. I thought. I decided that I would try again after getting our breakfast. I went to the little coffee shop where I had first met Ville and ordered us all coffee and a bunch of cinnamon buns. I sat at a table at the front of the shop and dialed Sandra's number again.

"Hello?" Sandra said on the other end of the line.

"Sandra, what did you do to Ville?" I asked straightforwardly. I heard Sandra sigh on the other end. "What did he do to deserve that? He could have been killed."

"He hurt me. Really badly." Sandra said matter-of-factly.

"That's no excuse."

"Maybe, but it made me feel better."

"I'm going to make you feel a lot worse if you ever talk to him or anything ever again. Do you hear me?"

"I hear you, but I am a grown woman and do as I please."

"I am a grown woman and can kick your sorry ass." I could hear my voice rising and I was getting some questioning stares, but I didn't care. This woman had hurt the man I loved. She had almost killed him.

"Please try." With that, Sandra hung up. I sat there, listening to the dial tone for a minute. What could I do that would hurt Sandra and not get me in trouble? The same thing she had done to Ville? No, that wouldn't work. I had no friends here in Finland. Aiden had moved back to the states shortly after Ville confessed his love to me. He hadn't even said goodbye, just left me a voicemail telling me he would call when he landed. He hadn't called and when I had called him, I found that his number was changed. Other than Aiden, Bam and Ville, I didn't know anyone here. Unless you counted Sandra. Which I didn't.

Sighing, I got up to get our order from the barista and headed for the hospital. When I got up to Ville's room, I saw someone there that I had never expected to see. Possibly ever again.

"Mom." I whispered, dropping the food and coffee.

VILLE:

A knock on the door caught my attention. I had been reading a book that Kat had brought for me. Some romance about vampires and doppelgangers. I place the book on the bedside table and told whoever it was to come in. The door opened and a woman who looked surprisingly like Kat walked in and asked me if I was Ville. I told her I was and she told me that she was Kat's mother.

I nearly choked. Kat hadn't told me much about her mother, or her home life at all for that matter. Only that her mother was a drunk and that she got out of there as soon as she was of age. I had met Kat's twin sister, Nat, but Nat hadn't mentioned their mother, either. So, when she came in and sat in the chair beside my bed, I had no idea what to expect. I know I wasn't expecting what the woman said next.

"Kat is returning to America with me."

"Uh-What?" I asked in disbelief. I wasn't sure if Kat knew her mother was here, but I did know that Kat hadn't mentioned leaving. At least not to me.

"She has to. I hope you understand."

"Actually, no. No, I don't."

"Well, I'm her mother and I need her to come back home."

"I understand that you're her mother, but from what she's told me, you weren't a very good one. So, why would she want to go back with you when the person who truly loves her is here?"

About that time, Kat burst through the door. She looked like she was suppressing several emotions. I knew her well enough to notice she was angry, sad, and extremely confused. As was I. So I didn't say anything to either of them. I figured it wasn't my place.

"What are you doing here?" Kat asked her mother.

"I need you to come back to America with me." She replied.

"Listen, Ella, I'm not going anywhere with you."

"You have to."

"Why? Why should I do anything you say?" Kat was obviously in pain, but I was too broken to get up and go over to her.

"Kat." I said, opening my arms. She walked over and sat beside me, intwining our fingers.

Kat turned to her mother when Ella replied. "I know I haven't been the best mother, but something has happened."

"What?" Kat asked sharply.

"Nat. She was with some guy at a club in New York. He left her there after they got into an argument. She was angry, I guess, and when she went to cross the street, she didn't look for traffic and got hit. The driver sped away."

"Well, is she okay?" I heard the fear in Kat's voice.

Ella looked down at her hands. "She's in a coma."

"How serious is it? Will she wake up?"

"The doctors say they don't know yet, but they told me to start thinking about my options, so I don't think so." Ella had tears silently streaming down her face. "Please. I know you two have had your differences, but she needs you there for her."

Kat swallowed. "I need to talk to Ville. I'll call you." Ella handed Kat a slip of paperand left us alone. Kat turned to me. She was crying, too.

"Go. I know you need to." I said, wiping away the tears with my free hand.

"I can't leave you here." Kat said quietly.

"It's okay. You go now, and when I'm better, I'll be there." Kat didn't say anything. "Bam will take care of me, love. Don't worry."

Kat sniffled. "Okay. I'll go pack and call Ella. I will come back and tell you bye, though."

"Sure, love."

Kat slid off the bed and slowly walked to the door. When she opened it, I said, "Kat?"

"Yeah?"

"I love you."

"I know. I love you, too."

Kat left then. I sat in silence for what felt like hours, but was only about thirty minutes. Nurses came and went, checking my vitals and making sure I was "comfortable". I paid them no mind. I was too deep in thought.

Kat and I had met over spilled coffee, been on a few dates, I'd accidentally slept with her sister, we had become best friends, lost our friendship over Sandra, and now we were finally together. Kat seemed the happiest with me. And I wasn't being cocky or egotistical. It was the truth. And I was happiest when I was with her, too. So why not make it final? Why not propose to Kat and let this last forever? It was then that I decided to do it. When I got to New York and everything was okay with Nat, I would fix up something really romantic and propose.

I walked out of the hospitaland couldn't wait to get on a plane and fly out to New York. It had been about a month since Kat had left. We had talked on the phone every night for hours on end. Nat was still in a coma, but Kat's mother was there every day with Kat at the hospital. Kat told me that her and Ella were actually getting in some mother-daughter time. Ella was not drinking anymore and seemed to be trying really hard. Bam had flown back to Westchester a week earlier, after buying me a plane ticket to New York ahead of time.

I was just finishing packing, when I heard a knock on my door. I prayed to myself that it wasn't a fan, because I really needed to finish up and get to the airport. Apparently, myself agreed and it turned out to be Aiden. What the Hell? I asked myself as I moved aside so he could enter.

"Uhh, listen. I have to catch a flight soon, so we have to make this quick." I said when Aiden just continued to stare at me.

"Right. Nat is in the hospital." Aiden said.

"How did you know about that?"

"Ella."

"You know Ella?"

"I only met her recently. Turns out she's my biological mother."

I felt my breath catch. His biological mother? What were the chances of that? And to think, he had professed his love for Kat only a few weeks earlier. Seemed like a lot had happened in those few weeks. "What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about the fact that Kat, Nat and I are related."

"Okay..So why did you fly all the way out to Finland to tell me this?" I asked, suspicious of his ulterior motives.

"That's not the reason I'm here. I had to come to Finland for other reasons, but I came to talk to you because Ella told me they are taking Nat off life support. I thought you should know when you get to New York."

"No, Kat would have told me if they were going to do something like that."

"Kat doesn't know. Ella doesn't want to tell her. Ella says that she just got her daughter back and if she tells Kat that she is taking Nat off life support, Kat will hate her. They are just going to pretend there were some problems and leave it at that."

"So, why would you want me to know? Why not just let me believe what they want Kat to believe?"

"I want you to tell Kat the truth. We don't talk anymore, but she loves you and she will remain rational if she hears it from you. Maybe she won't do something she regrets."

"Well, do you know when they plan to take Nat off life support?"

"Sometime tonight."

I looked down at my watch and saw that I was going to be late to the airport if I didn't leave now. I told Aiden this and that I would do what I could. Aiden thanked me and I was on his way. I was right behind him. I could only hope I didn't get to the hospital too late.

***I just wanted to clarify that this story is NOT about Kat von D. I realized that Ville had dated Kat von D and some of you may think she was who I was meaning. She's not. Just clearing that up.***


	12. Chapter 12

CHAPTER 12:

KAT:

I felt my heart skip a beat as Ville walked into Nat's hospital room. He hadn't changed much, except he was slightly limping, due to his still-healing leg. I ran over and wrapped my arms around him, then we were kissing. I heard Ella clear her throat and Ville and I pulled away. I was going to lead him over to sit with me, but he told me that he had to talk to Ella. I didn't know what they could possibly have to talk about, but I nodded and they left me alone with an unconscious Nat.

VILLE:

I turned to Ella and she followed me out into the hallway. She waited patiently as I tried to figure out how to start. "You have to tell her." Might as well be blunt.

"Tell her what?" Ella asked.

"You have to tell Kat that you're planning to, for lack of a better term, pull the plug on Nat."

"How did you know about that?"

"Aiden came to see me and told me everything. About Nat and about how you're his biological mother."

"I know that I should tell her, but I don't want to lose her. I only just got her back in my life and I think she is finally starting to trust me again." Ella let a tear slip from her eye. I felt bad for her, but Kat was my everything and she deserved to know.

"If you don't tell her, I will. I love Kat more than anything and she deserves to know this."

"Okay, I know. I'll tell her."

"Listen, I can tell that you're really trying to be there for her. I know things were complicated in the past, and are still complicated, but I can tell that you love her and Nat and I will talk to her about it."

"Thank you. You're a good person. Kat is lucky to have someone like you in her life. She grew up without a father and a drunk for a mother, but she has grown up to be a wonderful young woman."

"I know. You should tell her that. Kat needs to hear it from you."

Ella nodded and I was going to go back into Nat's room, but she stopped me. "I think you should stay while I tell her. Maybe she will handle it better, and if not, you should be there for support. I know she won't want to be around me for a while." I agreed and went in and sat, pulling Kat onto my lap.

Kat smiled and put an arm around me as I wrapped my arms around her as well. Ella looked over at me and I nodded encouragingly.

"Kat, I need to tell you something." Ella said slowly.

"What is it?" Kat was immediately on guard.

"Now, you have to hear me out and don't flip, okay?"

"I don't know." Kat looked at me for some clue as to what Ella was going to say. I just pursed my lips and turned back to Ella.

Ella sighed and continued. "Nat has about a 2% chance of waking up. I cannot sit here and watch her waste away. I have to take her off the life support."

"No." Kat said quietly at first. Then she yelled, "No! You can't do that!" Kat jumped up out of my arms. I stood.

"I have to." Ella said. "Do you want to sit here every day, waiting for her to wake up? She isn't going to!"

"I don't care! She's my sister! She was there when you and dad weren't! You have no right!"

"I'm her mother. You have to understand where I'm coming from."

A nurse rushed in to see what was happening. She saw Kat seething, and Ella crying and me just standing there awkwardly. She asked what was going on and no one answered. Then, Ella told the nurse to bring Nat's doctor in there. The nurse nodded once and left to get the doctor. I could tell Kat was about to explode, so I put my arm around her waist so that if she tried to tackle Ella or something, I would be able to stop her. Surprisingly, Kat just stood there.

The doctor came in a moment later and Ella explained to him that she had told Kat about what they were going to do and that now was the time. The doctor suggested we give Kat time to say goodbye, so Ella and Dr. Markus left the room. I was going to follow, but Kat asked me to stay.

"I know you made her tell me." Kat said. She took my hands in hers and looked into my eyes. She was crying and I brought our hands up to wipe away the tears. Kat abruptly dropped my hands and buried her face in my chest. She was sobbing and I hugged her closer to me. "Thank you." She said a few minutes later, after she had stopped crying so hard and pulled away to see my face.

"Anything for you. Do you want me to go so you can say goodbye?" I asked.

"I don't need to say goodbye. I already have, just not outloud. She wouldn't hear me anyway."

"Are you sure you're ready for this?"

"I guess I have to be. Ella is going to do it whether I agree, or not. Let's just get it over with."

I called Ella and Dr. Markus back into the room. Belle was with them and she was crying, too. For the first timeBelle walked straight over to Kat and hugged her. They cried together for a little bit before Dr. Markus asked us if we had all said our goodbyes. I had said my goodbye mentally like Kat had and I was assuming that Belle had, too because no one said otherwise. Kat grabbed my hand and tightened her grip as the doctor pulled the plug and Nat flatlined.

She was gone.


	13. Chapter 13

CHAPTER 13: Three Days Later... It was a few days later and Kat was still distraught. This was the reason I had not yet proposed to her. When I did, I wanted it to be perfect, but Kat just wasn't feeling better. Every day she just lay in my bed, tangled in the covers, crying. I had tried several times to persuade her to get up and do something, but she just looks at me and starts crying all over again. I don't know what to do to help her. I have called Ella, but she never answers and hasn't returned my calls. Today was July 7th. I was leaving on tour in about a month. You would think that would be plenty of time, but judging by how things were going, I might need more time. I had to fix this before I left; there was no way I was going to let Kat stay here alone in this condition. I walked upstairs to my room and found Kat right where I had left her that morning. She was sitting up in bed, staring out the window with a blank expression on her face. When I walked in, she barely acknowledged me. I went over and sat beside her on the edge of the bed. I put my hand on one side of her face, making her look at me. I used my other hand to wipe the tears from her face gently. "Kat, love, you have to get up and do something." I said quietly. "You can't just stop your life. Nat is okay now." Kat shook her head, but didn't reply. "Kat, I love you. I'm leaving soon, and I can't let you be like this when I do." "I'm fine." Kat replied, trying to turn her head away from me. I didn't let her and she got angry, but didn't say anything. "You are not fine. You've been in my bed for days, you haven't eaten and you won't talk to me." "Fine. If you don't want me in your bed, I'll go to Aiden's." Kat moved to get up, but I stopped her. She wasn't getting it. On purpose. She didn't want to get it because that meant facing the truth. But I didn't say that. "No. I want you here with me. I love you. But you have to trust me when I tell you that Nat is okay now and that she would want you to move on and live." Okay, so maybe that last part might not be true. I know, you're not supposed to speak ill of the dead, but Nat was self-centered. If only she were here now. She would know how to get Kat out of this funk. Of course, then Kat wouldn't be in this funk. "I can't. Ville, my twin sister is dead. She is dead because our mother didn't let her live. How can I just move on like it didn't happen?" This was the most that I had heard Kat say to me in days, but her words did not comfort me. "I know, love, I know. I can't say that I understand what that feels like, because I don't. But I know that I love you and you're my everything. And I will be here until you are okay again. I'm not going on tour until then. So you might as well get used to me being right here." "Ville, you have to go on tour." "No, I don't." "Yes, you do." "Nope, I'm not leaving you here." "Yes, you are." "Say, I remember us having a conversation like this the first day we met." "Yeah, because you said you can't wake up dead." "You can't." "Yes, you can." "No. I also remember a certain someone always causing me to slip up and fall." "That's your own fault." For the first time since that day in the hospital, Kat smiled. It was lovely. I hadn't seen that smile in what felt like ages. Maybe she would start getting it back together. I just had to help her and encourage her. "It didn't start until you came around." I reminded her with a grin. "Well, I can still leave." Kat said, pointing to my bedroom door. "Nooooo. No, you can't." "Why not?" Kat actually smirked. "Because then who would I do this with?" I leaned forward and kissed her gently. She grabbed my shirt and tugged until I came closer. I had my hands on either side of her; she had her hands on my neck and tangled in my hair. I moved one hand to her hip, sliding it up her shirt. Kat started unbuttoning my shirt. I pulled it off and tossed it into a corner, then I was on top of her. "Wait." I said. I knew Kat was just doing this because she was upset. She had told me before that she wanted to wait until she was married to have sex. I wanted to make sure that happened the way she really wanted it to. "We can't." "Why not?" Kat seemed a little agitated. "You said you want to wait until you're married." I reminded her. "Maybe I don't want to wait anymore." "Or maybe you are just upset and need a way to release that anger." "So?" "Listen, come out with me tonight." "Where to?" "Dinner." "At a fancy restaurant?" Kat didn't like that idea. She wasn't really one for fancy things. "Yes. I want to take you somewhere nice. So wear this." I got up and went to my closet. I had bought Kat a dress before leaving for New York. It had been with me the whole time, but my plan had changed after how everything had gone down at the hospital. I had bought it just for the proposal. KAT: "Yes. I want to take you somewhere nice. So wear this." Ville got up and went to his closet. He pulled out a mid-thigh length midnight blue dress. It had sleeves down to the elbows and a boat-neck that would show the slightest bit of cleavage. I stood and walked over to Ville. I had been in such a bad mood lately and here he was, treating me like a princess, after I had been a bitch for all of three and a half days. I smiled and took the dress, then kissed Ville deeply. I went into the bathroom and put on the dress. It fit perfectly and made me feel beautiful, too. I walked out of the bathroom to find Ville waiting for me by the sofa. He was wearing a white dress shirt, black jeans and a black suit jacket. I smiled and he smiled, too as he led me out of his tower. When we got to the restaurant, Ville was being more gentlemanly than usual. He held the door for me (mind you, he always did this, but tonight it seemed more important) and he pulled my chair out for me. I sat down and smiled as the waiter asked us if we would like to start off with some wine. I knew nothing about wine, but thankfully, Ville did. He ordered something and the waiter scurried away. I smiled at Ville, who was just staring at me with this goofy grin on his face. I knew him well enough to know that that grin meant he was hiding something. What, I didn't know. "What are you hiding?" That wiped the grin off his face. "What? Nothing. Do you like the restaurant?" Ville said innocently. What was he up to? Well, my birthday was coming up. Maybe he had me a present? VILLE: Keeping a secret from Kat was the hardest thing I had ever done. Not because it was hard to lie to her (about this, of course), but because I was so happy and excited, that my face was giving it all away. If I wasn't careful, she was going to figure it out. Calm down and act normal. I told myself. I smiled and thanked the waiter when he brought back the wine. After Kat and I had ordered and the waiter had left us alone again, I decided that I should make small talk. I wasn't planning on proposing until after the meal. Unless, of course, Kat started drinking too much wine. She usually didn't drink much, but I wouldn't want her saying yes while she was drunk and regretting it later. And with the way she had been acting lately, I was afraid that might happen. Kat hadn't taken her sister's death lightly, and she still hadn't talked to her mother, Ella, since we left New York. In fact, I didn't know of anyone she had talked to about this. Not even me. Tonight was the first time Kat had acted normal in a long time and I was going to take advantage of it. Besides, if she loved me the way she claimed to, saying yes would be no problem. Just one more step toward the rest of our lives together. "I'm glad you're feeling better, love." I said to Kat as she stared at me inquiringly. "What's all this about?" Kat asked. I wasn't expecting that. "Umm..What do you mean?" "Ville, you know what I mean. Is this all for my birthday?" I had totally forgotten about Kat's birthday, actually. "No, I just felt like taking you out is all." "I see." Kat looked like she didn't believe me in the slightest, but she stayed quiet. Eventually, the waiter brought our food and we ate in silence. As we were getting closer to being finished eating, I began to get more and more nervous. What if Kat said no? God, I don't know what I would do. She's almost done eating, make up your mind! "So, Ville, what's next on your romantic big night out?" Kat asked me, pushing her plate away and smiling at me. I bit my lip. "I love you, Kat. More than anything." "I love you, too." "I know. That's why," I moved over in front of Kat and got down on one knee. Her eyes grew wide. "I want to spend the rest of my life with you." By now, Kat was crying, which made me smile. She was so beautiful. "Will you be my forever?" "Only if you will be my forever in return." I took Kat's face in my hands and kissed her deeply. 


	14. Chapter 14

CHAPTER 14: A few weeks later... VILLE: I put my hands on Kat's shoulders. "You can do this, love. Trust me, you need to. Ella needs to hear how you feel about everything." It was a few weeks after I had proposed to Kat (and after she had said yes). Ella, Kat's mother, had finally called about about five days later and said that she wanted to see Kat. A little begrudgingly, Kat had agreed. Now, Kat and I were in the kitchen of my tower, Ella waiting in the living room. If Kat wanted to start a new chapter in her life, she had to let go of the old chapter, and tell Ella how she felt about everything. How Ella would react, well, I didn't really know. But, as I watched Kat slowly approach her mother, I knew that it would work out somehow. At least, in the end, Kat and I would have one another. I had told Kat that I would be in the kitchen if she needed me, but that this was something she had to do. Of course, I would be in the living room instantly if things got crazy, which I suspected they might. I sat down on a barstool and started reading a book. KAT: I sat down on Ville's sofa facing Ella, who sat opposite me in Ville's fluffy white chair. I still had no idea why Ella was even here. Maybe she was here to apologize for killing Nat. Okay, in all fairness, I knew that it wasn't Ella's fault that Nat was dead. Ella just hurried along the inevitable and skipped through all the long nights of waiting for an already gone girl to wake up. In retrospect, I should have thanked her. But right now, I was in no mood to be complaisant. I sighed heavily, waiting for Ella to tell me what is was that she wanted. Of course, I had plenty of my own problems to address with this woman, but that could wait. Not forever, though. "What, exactly, do you want, Ella?" I asked a little rudely. "Promise not to get angry with me." Ella said, putting her hand up defensively. VILLE: "Promise not to get angry with me." I heard Ella say. With that statement, I knew that there was going to be trouble. I got up and, leaving my book on the counter, went into the living room and sat beside Kat. I took her hand in mine. It wasn't really to be comforting, but to make sure I could hold her back if needed. KAT: Ville sat beside me and took my hand in his. I knew it wasn't meant to comfort me, but rather to warn me. It said, Don't let this get out of control. But what Ville didn't know was that my patience was already wearing thin, and a dozen words hadn't even came out of Ella's mouth. "Go on." I said. "What do you want?" "Nat left everything to you. Her car, her house, her money." "Great." I said unenthusiastically. "I get all my dead sister's belongings. Why couldn't you have just called and told me that?" "Well, the thing is...Nat had a lot of money in her account." "How much money?" "About $20,000." "What about it?" "I am having a lot of financial troubles right now.." "You came here to ask me for money?! Nat has only been dead a month, and you fly out to Finland to ask me for her money?" "Please, don't be so angry. It's not like you don't owe the money to me, anyway." I scoffed. "I don't owe you a damn thing!" I felt Ville's grip on my hand tighten, but I jerked it away and stood. Ella stood, too, but didn't move any closer to me. "Really? Who raised you?" Ella almost yelled. "I raised myself. Is something wrong with you, or do you not remember all those nights that you left Nat and I alone while you were out with your drugs and partying? Do you have any idea how much Nat and I just wanted you to be there? We sat up every night crying for you to come home. How many nights did you leave us with no food, no power? You spent all your money on your heroin and your men, while Nat and I went to school and got made fun of for not being clean. So, don't you come in here and say that I owe you a damn thing." "Kat, I'm sorry about all those things, but you have to believe me when I tell you that I did all those things for you and Nat." "Bullshit. I don't believe that you're sorry and I don't want a relationship with you any longer. Get out." "I want to finish what I have to say." "Get. Out." "This isn't your house, Kat." I looked over to Ville, who had stood and now had his arm around my shoulders. Ville said, "Maybe you should hear her out." I rolled my eyes. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Ville was taking my mother's side. I shrugged his arm off and, grabbing my coat, headed out the door for my house. VILLE: I sighed heavily as I watched Kat put on her coat and walk out the door. I had assumed that things would not go well, but I had not expected Kat to get angry with me. Ah, well. I suppose I could fix that later. Now, though, I had to deal with the problem I had created. I had meant for Ella to stay and talk to Kat. I hadn't the slightest idea what to say to her now that Kat was gone. I motioned for Ella to sit back down and did so, too. Ella just cocked an eyebrow at me expectantly. "So, what now, Mr. Valo?" "Please, call me Ville." I insisted once again. Ella had always called me Mr. Valo for some reason. It made me feel like she didn't accept me, which, I suppose, didn't really matter if Kat didn't want Ella in her life. "Okay, Ville. What now?" Ella asked again. I pursed my lips. "Honestly, I don't know. I thought that Kat would stay and hear your side of things, but she didn't." "Obviously." "So, I just wanted to say a few things." I was going to put this as nicely as I could, though I really wanted to give Ella a piece of my mind. "You have to understand where Kat is coming from. All the things that happened to her as a child, and now you show up, pull the plug on her sister and then come asking for money. It has taken a toll on her and on you guys' relationship." "So, what do you expect me to do? I need money and I had no other option." "I expect you to attempt having an actual relationship with your daughter." I said, as if it were obvious. "Well, as you heard, Kat wants nothing to do with me." "So, try harder." "How about this? You give me the money and I'll leave Kat alone." "I'm not going to give you anything without Kat's okaying it first." "Fine. Have it your way. But until I get what I want, I will keep coming around and making Kat's life miserable. And you have yourself to blame for that." I didn't say anything as Ella got up and left. Now, I understood why Nat acted the way she did: it was in her genes. I laid back against the sofa and closed my eyes, exhausted. Don't get me wrong, I loved Kat, I did. But as much as I loved her, and as much as I wanted to marry her and spend forever with her, I just didn't know how much more of this drama I could take. I had been there for her through that stuff with Nat, the stuff with Aiden and Sandra, everything that had happened in New York. When was it going to stop? Quit being so selfish. Kat has been through this and worse her whole life. I sat up and looked at the clock on the wall. It said that it was seven o' clock. I pulled on my jacket, scarf and beanie and locked the door on my way out. I had to check on Kat and tell her what had happened with Ella. Hopefully, she wouldn't be too angry with me. As I topped the hill where her apartment building sat, I saw what looked to be smoke. The closer I got, the more sure I became that Kat's apartment building was on fire. I started running and was about to go in, when a policeman grabbed me and shoved me back. By now, the building was totally engulfed flames. I looked all around me, but I didn't see Kat anywhere. "I have to go in!" I screamed at the policeman. "No one is going in there. There are a few firefighters looking for people inside. Do you know anyone who lives in this building?" "Yes, I have to go inside! My fiancée is in there!" "Sir, you have to get back." I didn't know what to do. No matter how hard I fought and screamed, the police were not going to let me by to go into the blaze. Kat was going to die. And it was my fault. I knew that this fire was Ella's doing. She was going to make me pay by taking away Kat. All because she didn't get what she wanted. Eventually, I lost my voice and couldn't scream any longer. I sank to my knees and cried for what felt like hours. People had started gathering around and someone had wrapped a blanket around me. I barely noticed and didn't care that I probably looked like a complete lunatic. The love of my life was inside that burning building and no one was telling me anything. Finally, a police officer informed me that they had gotten the fire put out and that they were going to search for bodies. They had only pulled one person out of the building during the fire, a young boy. He was on his way to the hospital. I told the officer that I was going to help look for Kat and, after a little thought, he said that was fine. Around ten o' clock, everyone decided to look again in the morning. We had been unsuccessful in finding survivors. We had found one woman, who I had not identified as Kat, two men and a dog. Everyone cleared out and I was left to grieve on my own. I didn't know what I would do if Kat were really dead. 


	15. Chapter 15

CHAPTER 15:

The next morning, I was awaken by the sound of my cell phone ringing. The caller-ID told me that it was Aiden calling. I thought for a moment. Maybe it would be better to just not answer him. I wasn't really in the mood to talk, and my throat hurt pretty bad, too.

"Hello?" I said hoarsely.

"Ville?" Aiden said.

"Yeah."

"I just called to tell you that Kat stayed here last night. She's on her way home now. You know she doesn't get good service at my place. And she was pretty tired, so she fell asleep quickly after getting here." The more Aiden talked, the more angry and relieved I felt. Angry because no one had thought to call me last night. Surely, Kat had heard about her apartment? Then again, she didn't have to pass by here to get to Aiden's.

"Thanks." Was all I could think to say.

"What's wrong with your voice?"

"I thought Kat was dead."

"What? Why would you think that?"

"I have to go." I hung up on Aiden and stood. I turned and looked at my reflection in the charred window. My whole body was covered in soot and my eyes were swollen from crying all night. On top of that, my throat felt like sandpaper and I had to leave to go on tour in two days. I wasn't sure I would be able to sing for at least another week or so.

About twenty minutes later, I saw Kat coming. I could tell when she noticed the building, because her face fell and she started running toward me. I don't think she noticed me at first. Maybe it was because I was so dirty that I blended in with the building, or maybe she was just too shocked to care. But when Kat saw me, threw herself into my arms. I pulled her close and inhaled the sweet scent of her.

I felt myself on the verge of tears again. "I thought you were dead, Kat." I swallowed hard. "Thank God you're alive."

Kat looked up into my eyes. "I should have called you. I was angry. I'm sorry."

"No, love. Don't. This is my fault. Let's go back to my place."

Back at my tower, I took a shower and Kat made me go directly to bed. She went and got some medicine for my throat and put a little bell beside the bed in case I needed her. God knows I couldn't yell. I knew that Kat was trying her hardest to make me feel better, but I was more worried about her.

I wasn't sure if Kat knew that the fire was started by Ella, but I knew the fire had effected her in a negative way. Since the fire yesterday, Kat had been crying a lot. She tried to keep it from me, but I could hear her sobbing in the bathroom or the kitchen, even. I wasn't sure why she wouldn't talk to me about it, but I suspected it was because she was worried about me. That was Kat, so selfless.

That evening, I got out of bed to check on Kat. Tomorrow, I was supposed to leave for tour, but my voice was barely back and I couldn't leave Kat here alone. I found Kat downstairs on the sofa, curled up with a book. She had her pajamas on, her hair pulled back in a sloppy bun and her reading glasses on. I smiled when I saw her. She was so beautiful.

The floor creaked under my weight and Kat looked up, startled. "Ville! You scared me. What are you doing out of bed? You need your rest for tomorrow." Kat said in a rush. She was on her feet in nothing flat, directing me back up the stairs.

I stopped Kat, placing my hands on her shoulders gently. "We need to talk." I said in barely more than a whisper. I was definitely thinking that we would have to postpone the tour for a few more days. Kat looked a little confused, but she followed me over to the couch and sat beside me.

"Ville, what's this about? You need to rest for tomorrow." Kat said again.

"This is about you. I'm fine. I'm going to call the guys and tell them to postpone the tour for a few days."

"Why? And what about me?"

"As you can tell, I only barely have recovered my voice. As for what I have to talk about with you, I can tell that you're upset about the fire."

"Ville, I'm fine. Really."

"Kat, why won't you talk to me?"

"Because nothing is wrong." Kat stood and started to walk away, but I stopped her by grabbing her wrist. "Ville, why can't you just let it go, for God's sake? I don't want to talk about it. I'm exhausted; come to bed whenever you're ready." Kat pulled her wrist out of my grip and went upstairs to go to bed.

I sighed. I felt like so many things were wrong: Ella wascoming after us; Kat had lost everything she owned (besides what she had at my place) in the fire; the band was going to have to postpone the tour for about a week; Kat was trying to be selfless and take care of me, when she was really in emotional pain; my throat was in physical pain. It was just a big mess. Again, I found myself wondering if our relationshipwas worth all the trouble and pain.

My mind was too crazy with thought tonight for me to sleep, so I decided to call Ella. It was around six o' clock and Ella answered on the second ring. "Let's meet up." I said. Ella agreed and told me to meet her at the park. It was summer, so it was warm enough if I wore a jacket. I left a note for Kat, in case she woke up and couldn't find me. "Kat, if you wake up and I'm not here, I just went to Gas's house to talk about the tour. Call me..if you want. Love, Ville."

At the park, Ella was waiting, leaning against a tree, cigarette hanging loosely from her mouth. Ella was a pretty woman; she and the twins didn't look as much alike as I had originally thought. Though Ella was oldershe didn't appear to be a day over thirty. I walked over and Ella bummed a light from me, then sat on the ground against the tree. I followed suit and told her that we needed to talk about the incident at Kat's apartment.

"Ah, the fire." Ella sounded as if she knew all too well what I was talking about. This only confirmed my suspicions that she was the cause of the fire.

"Yeah, the fire. Why did you do it?" I asked. My voice was still only a little over a whisper, but Ella could hear me. It was quiet out tonight, with only one or two people lingering in the park at this hour.

"I think you know why."

"Because Kat or I didn't give you the money?" I asked, incredulous.

"You know, Mr. Valo, you could stop this. Just give me what I want."

This time, I didn't correct Ella. I did not really care what she wanted to call me at this point. She had tried to hurt, maybe even kill, Kat. "I find it hard to believe that you care more about money than you do your own daughter, so much so that you tried to kill her because she didn't give you the money you asked for."

"Well, believe it."

I thought for a second. If I gave Ella the money, like she wanted, then she would leave and never think about Kat again. Or at least, she said she would leave Kat alone. I knew I should tell Kat about Ella, but Kat was having enough difficulty with the fire itself. Just think how it would effect her if I told her that her own mother was the cause of that fire. There was just one thing I wanted to know first...

"If you care so little about your children, then why did you come around when Nat was put into the hospital?"

"There are a few things that you should know. Then, you can decide if you want to tell Kat. Of course, it might break her heart."

"Like what?"

"I'm not her mother at all."


	16. Chapter 16

CHAPTER 16: I felt my mouth drop open, but I quickly composed myself. What did Ella mean she wasn't Kat's mother? If that were the case, how could she possibly make any decision about Nat's life support? And who was she, really? Ella smirked and took a long drag off her cigarette. "It's true." "But, how does that make sense?" I asked. "Brace yourself. It's quite a story. Are you sure you want to know? It might just be a burden. I'll tell you, then you will be at war with yourself about whether or not you should tell Kat. It will a matter of choosing if you would rather hurt her with the truth, or bear the burden of not telling her, and just keeping it all inside yourself." She was right. But, of course, my curiousity got the best of me. "Tell me." Ella took a final toke of her cigarette and flicked the butt away. "Kat's real mother was married to her father, Kurt, in the beginning. I had been with Kurt before, but he had left me for this woman whom he saw as perfect. I watched them enviously from a distance for a while. When I found out that Trina, Kat's mother, was pregnant, I decided to make my move. Get close to the Owens and tear them apart. "I dyed my hair and even wore contacts to change my eye color; I didn't want Kurt recognizing me. And for about a year, he didn't realize who I was. Everything was going perfectly. The twins had been born and the stresses of being new parents was wearing on them, along with their financial troubles. I barely had to do anything before he was ready to sleep with me again. Oh, I remember that night like it was yesterday. Of course, then things only went downhill. "Trina caught us about the third time we were together. She had taken the twins to her mother's house and came home early because of a stomach ache. When she found us, she was upset, but not nearly as upset as I had expected. That was a let down, so I wanted to spice things up a bit. But I waited a little longer. "A few months later, the divorce was final and Kurt and I were married already. I could tell that it was killing Trina inside that her best friend had stolen her husband. By this time, I had realized that Kurt only wanted me for my money. He had lost everything in the divorce, including the rights to the twins. I figured that it was time to put them both out of their misery." "You killed them?" I asked in disbelief. "Shh. I'm not to that part yet. I waited until Kurt was sleeping and injected a lethal amount of heroin into his arm." Ella smiled bitterly. "That bastard didn't even have a clue. I did the same a few weeks later to Trina. Her mother was dead, so the twins were left to me, their stepmother. Wouldn't you know it, now I'm addicted to heroin. I guess that's just how it goes, though." "I could tell and have you locked away for murder." I said. Ella smiled and patted my cheek lightly. "Oh, but Ville, you can't. You have no proof. And besides, it's been over two decades since those two pitiful people died. Who cares?" "You're psychotic." "Maybe. But I'm about to be rich, right?" "One more question before I agree to this. Where does Aiden come into play? He's your biological son, right?" "He was a spawn of my ex-husband, before Kurt. I couldn't have him around, messing things up, so I got rid of him. I put him up for adoption. It was the only way." I found myself wishing I could get rid of this horrible knowledge that Ella had just given me. "Give me two days, and I'll have you your money." Ella shrugged. "Fine. I'll talk to you in two days." With that, Ella stood and walked away. When I got home, Kat was frantic. Apparently, she had awoken to find me gone. But why was she freaking out? I had left a note, and she hadn't called me. I closed the door behind me and immediately, Kat was interrogating me about where I had been and why hadn't I called. "Calm down. I left you a note. You didn't call me." I said. "You left your phone here. I called Gas, but he said he hasn't talked to you in hours. I was worried after everything that's happened." Kat said. "I'm sorry. I had some things to take care of." "So, why did you lie, then?" "Lie?" I wasn't really paying attention to the conversation. My mind was wandering back to my talk with Ella. How would I tell Kat? Maybe I should talk to Aiden first. "About going to Gas's." "Oh, I have to go see Aiden." "What? At this hour?" I glanced over at the clock. It said that it was nine. I had been gone longer than I thought. Surely, though, Aiden wouldn't be sleeping. "Yeah, it's important." "Ville, what's going on?" I really looked at Kat for the first time since I'd gotten home. She really seemed upset. Why should I upset her even more? Wrapping my arms around her and pulling her close, I told her that I loved her. "I love you, too, but that doesn't explain anything." Kat said, resting her head on my shoulder. "We'll talk later. As for Aiden, I can see him tomorrow. Let's just go to bed and be together for a while." I said, picking Kat up and heading for my—our—room. I hadn't told Kat that I wanted her to permanently move in with me yet. It was something that had gotten lost in all of our problems. That night, Kat and I didn't talk about Ella, or Nat. We talked about the first day we met and all the good in between. I told Kat stories from tour and she told me stories of her and Nat growing up (the good ones). Afterward, we just snuggled close and slept. It was nice to just be there for once. Without worrying about what lay ahead or in the past. Until the next morning, that is. I woke up and found that Kat was already gone. She had left a note that said she had an interview for a job on a news network. This was the perfect opportunity for me to go talk to Aiden. I dialed his number and he answered, sounding as if he were half asleep. "Aiden, it's Ville." I said. "Yeah, I have caller-ID." "Right. Uh..I have to come over. You're going to want to hear what I have to say." "Is it about the fire?" Aiden's voice was clearer now, more alert. "Sort of." "Okay, come on." "Be there in fifteen." We hung up and I got dressed in some simple black jeans, a black button-up shirt and a jacket. About halfway to Aiden's, I was regretting the choice of a jacket; it was really starting to get warm out. I took off my jacket and hung it over one arm, thinking about how to say to Aiden what it was I had to say. I knocked on Aiden's door and he answered, still in his pajamas. After he let me inside, he made me a cup of coffee and told me to sit on the couch. I did and he sat across from me on the love seat. I took a big gulp of hot coffee. "So what is that you need to talk to me about?" Aiden asked. "Ella." Was all I said. "What about her? Did she finally call or something?" "Yeah. She came here. Nat left Kat everything and Ella wanted some of Nat's money; she still does." I told Aiden the whole story and, somehow, he remained enviously stoic. For a few moments, Aiden didn't speak. Then, abruptly, he stood and walked over to stare out the window. After a second of silence, Aiden yelled angrily and lashed out at the decorative vase beside him. I heard the crash as the glass shattered and kept silent. What could I possibly say right now that would help? I was pretty sure anything I said would only make matters worse. Eventually, Aiden returned to his spot on the love seat. "You have to tell Kat." "I know. I came to talk to you so that I could ask your opinion on how to do that. I know it will hurt her, just like it did you—" "I'm fine." Aiden inturrupted. "Well, I'm not sure how Kat is going to react. So, how should I tell her?" "I don't know. Honestly, it doesn't really matter. It's going to hurt her either way, so I say you just lay it out there and make sure she knows that you're there for her." "Aiden, I'm here for you, too. If you want to talk about it—" "No. Just go talk to Kat." Aiden said. "Right." I stood to leave and Aiden closed and locked the door behind me. I could tell that he was crushed that his own mother had given him away, but if he didn't want to talk, then that was fine. Everyone grieved and dealt with their problems in their own way. Now, I just had to break all this to Kat. I hated seeing Kat hurt, or cry. There was still a sliver of doubt lingering in the back of my mind. I could just pay Ella off and not worry about it anymore. Kat wouldn't have to learn about her family, and Ella would be out of our lives forever. I had to admit, this did sound like a way better plan than telling Kat. But, it also had it's consequences. Like, what if Aiden told Kat about Ella? Kat would never forgive me for keeping a secret like that from her. Or, what if Ella did come back and told Kat herself? When I got home and saw Kat fixing us lunch, I knew then that all the doubt I had about telling her...Well, that would just have to go. I had an obligation as Kat's fiancé to tell her the truth about everything. Even things she didn't necessarily know about. Kat instructed me to get a blanket and make a place for us to have picnic outside. I grabbed a throw from the closet and headed out the door. There was a slight breeze, but the air wasn't that cool. I splayed the blanked out under a tree and just took it all in. This was why I loved Finland. The summers were as warm as the winter was cold. It was nice. Kat came outside a few minutes later with some sandwiches and iced tea. She sat the food down on the blanket and then plopped down herself. I sat beside her and she grinned at me. It was so discerning that I was going to ruin her day. "Kat," I began slowly. "there is something that I have to talk to you about.." "I know what you're going to say. It's about Ella, isn't it?" Kat said, taking a small bite of a sandwich. "How did you.." "Ella came by today. She told me everything. About my parents, Aiden." "So, then why are you so cheerful? I expected you to be upset." "I am a little. But there was always a part of me that just knew. I didn't feel any sort of connection with Ella. I think Ella rubbed off on Nat, though." "Yeah. So, what about the money?" "I gave her all of it." "Why?" "Well, she won't be around anymore. I don't need that kind of negativity in my life. We don't need it. I just want to move on and live the rest of my life with you, Ville." Kat put her sandwich down and fixed her gaze on me. There was so much love in her eyes. I smiled and leaned to whisper in her ear. "So, Mrs. Owens, when are you going to become Mrs. Valo?" Kat giggled. "Whenever you'll take me, Mr. Valo." 


	17. Chapter 17

CHAPTER 17:

KAT:

We set the wedding for the following Spring. Today was August 12th and HIM was finally leaving for the tour. Ville was up bright and early to get ready. I was really sad that he was leaving, but I also understood how important the band and the fans were to him. Still, I was a little envious of Ville. He got to tour the states, while I was here, working some crap internship. I didn't even get paid! Most of the time, I wouldn't be home, though, because besides my intership, I was working part-time at the coffee shop where Ville and I had first met. I figured that I would have to get up around six in the morning for the internship and then hurry over to the coffee shop for work. I wouldn't get home until around nine, so every day was full.

I was sitting on the bed, watching Ville stuff his suitcase with clothes. He took his black button-up shirt off the hanger, but I jerked it away. "No way you're taking this!" I exclaimed, hugging the shirt to me.

"What? Why?" Ville asked.

"This is my favorite shirt of yours."

Ville narrowed his eyes. "What if I come over there and take it from you?"

"Ville.." Ville wiggled his fingers, indicating he was going to tickle me. I hated being tickled and he knew that. "No, Ville!"

Ville came at me and got me down on the bed, tickling me until I had tears in my eyes and my sides hurt. He was straddling me on his knees, with one hand on either side of me. I stared up into his eyes as he slowly brought his lips down on mine. I tossed the shirt aside and wrapped my arms around his neck, bringing him as close to me as physically possible. We switched positions, so that I was on top of him without breaking the kiss.

I started to take my shirt off, but Ville stopped me. "Kat, no."

"Why not?" I asked in incredulity. Did Ville not want me like that? But we were engaged..

"You said you wanted to wait until you were married." Ville said softly.

I smiled. "But Ville, I might as well be. We're engaged and I know that I will never want anyone, never love anyone, the way I do you."

"I love you, too. But I only want to do this if you're completely sure this is what you want."

"I've only been more sure of one thing." I said with a sly grin.

"Oh, yeah? What's that?"

"You can wake up dead." I teased.

Ville shook his head and laughed. "Come here." He growled.

"I promise I'll call you every night." Ville said, picking up his bags to leave.

"Just call me when you can." I was trying not to cry. I had just given Ville all of me and now he had to leave. Of course, I wasn't complaining about the sex, just that I wouldn't be able to see him for a while after this.

"I said that I would call you every night. That's what I meant." Ville bent and kissed my forehead lightly. "I love you, Kat. And when I get home, we're going to get married. If you'll still have me, that is."

"You silly man. You're the only one for me."

Ville smiled and started walking out the door. I could feel the tears spill onto my cheeks. "Ville, wait!" I called before he could get into the taxi. He stopped and met me halfway across the yard. Our lips met as our arms wrapped around one another. The kiss wasn't gentle, it was urgent.

Too soon, Ville pulled away. "I have to go now, love."

"I know. Be safe." I said quietly. I hugged him one last time and he kissed my cheek. He bade me farewell with a wave before getting into the taxi.

VILLE:

I waved goodbye to Kat and got into the taxi. She was crying, but I had to go on tour. I knew she understood that, but it was still hard. I only hoped she stayed safe while I was gone. I had called Aiden earlier that morning, while Kat still slept. Aiden said that he would keep an eye on her and stay with her from time to time. That gave me a litle relief and I smiled at Kat's picture on my phone. That was when I realized that I could handle anything life threw my way, as long as I had Kat by my side.

It was right after the first show that I saw her. Belle. She was backstage talking to some guy. I wasn't exactly sure why seeing her was such a big shock. We were in New York, after all. Maybe it was just weird seeing her without Nat by her side. Whatever the reason, I didn't want to talk to her, so I ducked into the dressing room, closing the door behind me.

I had snuck outside to smoke a while later, when Belle came up beside me. I barely acknowledged her. For a while, neither of us spoke, leading me to believe that something was wrong. Typically, Belle wasn't one to just stand in silence if there was someone around to talk to.

"So, where is Kat?" Belle eventually asked.

"Finland." I stated simply.

"Are you guys still together?"

"Yeah, we're engaged."

"That's great." Belle didn't sound too enthused.

"How are you holding up?" I figured she would know I was referring to Nat's death.

"Eh, okay. It's not the same, doing everything without Nat, but I'll get over it. What about Kat? How's she taking it?"

"Things were kind of off track for a while, but she's doing good now."

"That's good."

"So, did you just come to ask about Kat, or did you want something?" I assumed Belle had an ulterior motive; Nat always did.

Belle looked thoughtful for a moment, then said, "Well..there was one thing."

"How did I know? What is it?"

"I saw that Bam is with you. Do you think you could talk to him for me?"

I cocked an eyebrow. "What? You've never been shy before."

"That was when Nat was around. She always took control of every situation. I don't really know what to do with myself now that she's gone." I saw a tear trickle down Belle's cheek. "I just want something to take my mind off it for a while. And I've liked Bam ever since Finland."

"Did you guys ever meet?"

"Ha. No, we didn't. That's the thing, I guess. Nat was supposed to talk to him for me, but she didn't get the chance. Maybe that's why I want to date him; for Nat."

I flicked the remainder of my cigarette and laid my head back against the wall. I could see where Belle was coming from. Unless this was just her manipulating me like Nat or Ella would have done. I shrugged to myself and decided that everyone deserved a second (or third) chance. "I'll go talk to him. But we have to leave soon, so I don't see how this will work."

"Can't I come with you guys?"

"I'm not sure how Kat will feel about that."

"I'll call her and tell her that I'm with Bam."

"Well, let me talk to Bam, and if he agrees, then you can call Kat."

"Okay."

"Wait here."

I walked back inside the venue and to the dressing room where I had last seen Bam. Just as I suspected, he was on the couch, beer in one hand, cell phone in the other. He seemed to be watching a funny video, because Linde was behind him laughing his ass off.

Bam looked up when I entered the dressing room. I beckoned for him to follow me into the hall and he did, leaving his phone with Linde, who was still laughing. I shut the door behind Bam and then just stood there. I wasn't really sure what to say now.

"What is it, Ville?" Bam asked when I continued to stay silent.

"You remember Nat?" I asked slowly. I now knew that Bam and Belle had never gotten to meet, so I guess I would just have to see if he was interested in a type of blind date.

"Yeah, the crazy...I mean, Kat's sister?"

"Yeah, Kat's sister. Well, would you be interested in going on a date with her best friend, Belle?"

Bam cocked his brow. "Uh..How about you introduce us? Is she here?"

"Yeah, she is outside. C'mon." I led Bam outside where Belle was waiting. She smiled when she saw me exit the venue, Bam on my heels. "Bam, this is Belle. Belle, Bam."

"Nice to meet you." Bam said, extending his hand.

"Same to you." Belle replied as she shook Bam's hand.

"Well, I'll go help pack up and let you two get acquainted." I said, leaving them and going back inside.

I checked the time. It was still set for Finland time, and it said that it was about one in the morning there. I hadn't had a chance to call Kat today, and now it seemed too late. Against my better judgement, I dialed Kat's number. By some strike of luck, she answered.

"Hey, love." I said, going into a bathroom so it would be quiet.

"Hey." Kat replied. "How's the first day of the tour?" She really sounded tired, more-so than me even.

"Great. Listen, Belle is here."

"How is she?"

"She's okay. She still has a thing for Bam, so I introduced them. I just wanted to let you know that she might join us for the tour, since Bam is with us, too." No reply. "Kat? Do you mind?"

"Sorry, I almost dozed off. Yeah, it's fine. I don't care. I'm going to get to bed. I have to get up early."

"Right. I'll try to call earlier tomorrow."

"Okay. I love you."

"I love you, too." Click. I heard the dial tone.

Sighing, I hung up my end, too and started for the bus. The guys had already finished loading up all the gear, so I went to get Bam and Belle. I found them right where I had left them, chatting away. It seemed they were really hitting it off. I told them to follow me onto the bus if they were coming and they did.

I went to my room in the back and closed the door behind me. I was exhausted, but I was also a little worried. Kat and I had schedules that didn't exactly coincide. It was apparent that talking was going to be a bit more of a challenge than I had anticipated. I grabbed a pair of flannel pajama pants and a tee shirt and headed for the tiny bathroom. Luckily for me, the other guys were too busy talking to take advantage of the shower. I noticed Belle and Bam talking in a corner together and smiled. Seeing Belle made me miss Kat. Hell, it even made me miss Nat.

After my shower, I grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge and went back to my room. I was inspired, so I started working on a new song. I wrote for a while before deciding to finally go to bed. It was late, about two in the morning, when I eventually fell asleep, thinking of Kat.

I woke up the next morning around ten. That meant that it was five o' clock in the afternoon in Finland, so Kat would be at work. I texted her and told her to call me on her break. Maybe we could sneak in a few minutes today.

I pulled on some jeans, keeping my shirt from the night before. When I walked out into the 'living area' of the bus, I saw that the guys had drank last night. A lot. It was unusual for them to do this, but they sometimes had their drinking spells. Unfortunately for me, I couldn't really afford to have drinking spells. Also unfortunately for me, my relationship seemed to be at a stand-still. I noticed a half-empty bottle of Jack Daniels beside a passed-out Bam and picked up the bottle, staring at it longingly. One little sip couldn't hurt. I reasoned.

Shrugging, I took a drink of the liquor. It burned a tad going down, but it felt good. It brought back a lot of memories, both good and bad. I was debating taking another swig when my phone rang. Thank God it was Kat, or else I might have ended up drinking more.

"Hey." I said into the phone.

"Good morning." Kat sounded a lot more cheerful today than last night.

"Good morning. How are you?"

"Great. How are you?"

"Better now." I put the bottle of Jack Daniels where I had gotten it. "Has Aiden stayed over yet?"

"Yeah, he stayed last night. He knew I needed a friend since you were gone."

"Yeah, he's pretty dependable."

"That he is."

"Do you like your internship?"

"Yes, it's great."

"That's good, love. I miss you."

"I miss you, too, Ville."

"I lome, Linde, Burton, Gas, Mige, Bam and BelleLinde and Burton, Gas and Mige, Bam and Belle. I went on my own in search of some coffee and I needed some cigarettes, too. I had just poured my coffee when I someone tapped me on the shoulder. I turned and nearly dropped my cup of coffee, I was so surprised to see the person behind me.


	18. Chapter 18

CHAPTER 18: "Sanda? Uh..What are you doing here?" I asked, completely stunned. I had definitely not expected to see Sandra here. "I'm following the band on the tour." Sandra replied brightly. "So, you're like a groupie?" I asked. Sandra's face changed from happy to angry. Great job, Ville. "No, not like a groupie. I'm following the tour because of you, silly." "Oh.." I wasn't sure what to say to that. Sandra had had me beaten to a pulp, and I had ended up in the hospital with broken ribs, a broken leg, a concussion and stitches. Now, she had just appeared coincidentally when Kat wasn't around. Perfect. This was the last thing I needed. "So, can I ride on the bus with you guys?" Sandra asked. "That's probably not a good idea." I added some sugar to my coffee. "Why? Because of Kat?" Sandra said Kat's name with a venomous snort. "Yeah, because of Kat. She isn't around. And we're engaged." I added. "E-engaged?" Sandra sputtered. "Why?" "Why? Because I love her." I said, as it were totally obvious. "Well, you used to love me once." "Yeah, I did." "And you never proposed to me." Oh, boy. I should have known this was coming. A pity party. "I was always there for you, and I loved you! I still love you!" "You were always there for me? Yeah, you really showed me love when you had those four guys beat me up in an alley. I must have been a fool to leave you." I said sarcastically. I took my coffee to the clerk to pay. I knew Sandra was behind me, but I purposefully didn't look at her. I walked out the front door of the gas station without even a second glance in her direction. I should have known it wouldn't be that easy. Sandra finally grabbed my arm, spun me around and pulled my lips to hers. For a moment, I was stunned. And then I gained my senses back and pushed Sandra away. I had been so surprised that I had dropped my coffee. Damn. I've been looking forward to that all day. I thought as Sandra dramatically fell to the ground. At first, I didn't know what the hell she was doing. Then, I noticed a group of people walking out of the station. Behind them was the band members and a police officer. Sandra was putting on a show. "Get up." I instructed her in a harsh undertone. "Police! Help, he pushed me! Please." Sandra was still on the ground, sitting up now, reaching for the police officer's hand. The officer had quickly made his way over when he saw Sandra and Sandra had just kept playing along. "Excuse me. Did you hurt the lady?" The policeman asked me sternly. "No, I didn't touch her. She kissed me, and I pulled away is all." I replied calmly. No way was I getting in trouble for Sandra. Especially on tour. "He shoved me and I fell. He threatened me, too." "Oh, just stop!" I yelled. I was so tired of her stupid shit. "Sir, I'm gonna need you to calm down." The cop pulled out a taser. "Jesus, what's that for?!" I exclaimed. "Sir! Calm down!" This was really getting out of hand. "What the Hell?!" I threw my hands up in the air. Big mistake. The officer tased me. I woke up in a jail cell, my whole body aching. For a moment, I seemed to be in a daze, then I remembered what had happened. Ugh. Sandra. I wasn't sure how long I'd been in jail, but surely someone would be coming to bail me out? The whole band had been there when the police arrested me, so I was expecting one of them soon. While I waited, I decided to use my phonecall to get in touch with Kat. It should be evening in Finland, so I knew Kat would be at home, if I was lucky. I told the officer that I wanted my call and she led me to a phone. I dialed Kat's number. Apparently, luck was on my side, because Kat answered. It sounded like she had already heard about the arrest. "Ville? What the Hell?" Kat said. "I'm sorry. Who told you?" I replied, running my free hand through my hair. "Bam. He just called me and said they're on their way to bail you out. What happened?" So I hadn't been here long, then. Hopefully, we would be able to make it to the venue on time. "Sandra showed up at the gas station. She said she missed me, and when I didn't reciprocate those feelings, she kissed me. I pushed her away and she made a scene that ultimately got me here." "Sandra." Kat said her name with disgust. "What are we going to do about her? She apparently is not going away any time soon." "Get a restraining order?" I joked. I had thought about it, but it seemed Sandra would stop at nothing to get to me. If that sounded conceited, so be it. But it was the truth. I had learned that from experience. "No, she wouldn't care about that. What if I called Ella? She killed my parents, I'm sure Sandra would be no big deal." I couldn't tell if she was serious. I was hoping not, but I didn't say anything. I wasn't sure what to say. "Ville, I'm kidding. Geez, I'm not a murderer. Have a little faith." "Ha." I laughed a little nervously. "Sorry, this whole thing just has my emotions a little confused." "What do you mean?" I detected a hint of jealousy in her tone. "Nothing like that. Trust me, I'm done with Sandra. I mean, I'm angry, frustrated..and I miss you more than I can explain." "I know. I miss you, too." "I have to go. They just told me Bam is here to bail me out. I love you, Kat." "I love you, too, Ville." KAT: I hung up and burst into tears. Good thing Aiden had other plans tonight and wouldn't be here to see me break down. It had only been a few days and I was falling apart without Ville here. It just seemed like a part of me was missing. And without that part, I couldn't think about anything else. I tried to keep myself busy with work and the internship, but my mind always strayed back to Ville. What was he doing? Who was he with? Not that I didn't trust Ville; of course I did. I was just a little insecure. I mean, there were thousands of girls on tour and groupies and sluts. There was also alcohol and Ville hadn't been on tour in a while. He has been on tour and not drank before; he can do it again. I thought. But that didn't quell my worries. I was still freaking about the thing with Sandra, so I knew Ville had to be feeling it, too. What would that do to him emotionally? I took a deep breath and calmed myself. Why was I crying? At least I was fortunate enough to have someone like Ville, who loved and trusted me as much as I did him. There was a knock on the door and I wiped my eyes before answering. Aiden was waiting on the other side, surprisingly. He stared at me for a moment before saying, "You look like Hell." "Gee, thanks." I said unenthusiastically. "I thought you had plans tonight." "They cancelled. So, here I am." Aiden bowed dramatically and got down on one knee. "You know I'm engaged, right?" I joked. "Beautiful Katerina, would you do me the honor of accompanying me to dinner tonight? I have chicken alfredo at my place." "Alfredo, huh? I'm in." Aiden stood and followed me inside so I could get ready. I told him to wait downstairs while I went up to change. I put on a pair of skinny jeans, a pink tank-top and some Converse. This wasn't a special occasion, so I just left my face empty of makeup and my hair in it's sloppy ponytail. Then went back downstairs where Aiden was waiting. "Let's go. I can hear the alfredo calling my name." I said to Aiden, grabbing my house key. "Mine, too." Aiden's stomach growled on cue and we both laughed. At Aiden's house, we sat at his bar and ate chicken alfredo. Aiden had bought a bottle of wine, so we drank, too. A few glasses in, I was feeling a little tipsy. I could tell Aiden was feeling the same. He poured the last of the wine in one glass and handed it to me. I thought of objecting, then thought what the heck? and swallowed it down in one gulp. "Kat, I like your pink tank-top. It's very..." Aiden started, trailing off. "Pink?" I said. We burst out laughing. I almost fell off my stool, but Aiden caught me. "Careful." Aiden said, steadying me. His hand lingered on my arm. I was going to brush it away, but I couldn't get my hand to work properly. Then, Aiden starting leaning in to kiss me. Oddly enough, I didn't stop him. Not when he was leaning in, and not even when his lips touched mine. Aiden's hands moved to my waist as I wrapped my arms around his neck. I could feel one of Aiden's hands slowly moving up the back of my top, the other pulling me closer. Aiden pulled away long enough to say, "Bedroom." and then led me to his room. My vision was a little topsy-turvy, but Aiden was holding my hand. Before I knew it, I was lying on Aiden's bed, watching Aiden take his shirt off. Something was gnawing at the back of my mind, but the wine was taking care of that. I ran a hand over Aiden's chest and we were kissing again. Aiden's hands were all over me. Aiden took my top off and then pulled off my pants, followed by his. I pulled Aiden to me again, loving the feeling of his mouth on mine, and on other places it had never been. I woke up the next morning with a smashing headache. I was naked, for some reason, and I was at Aiden's house. A minute later, the memories of the night before came creeping back. They were foggy, but they were there. And I was a slut. VILLE: I got back on the bus, relieved. I had known Sandra was crazy, but come on. There was no need to get me arrested, just because I didn't want her anymore. I had explained everything to the guys and now I just wanted to relax before the show. It was about thirty minutes to the venue and I needed a cigarette. I closed the door to my room and lit one up. Taking a long drag, I thought back to Kat. How were Kat and I ever going to have a relationship if Sandra kept coming around, messing things up? It seemed impossible. I had to figure something out. Maybe Sandra's family was missing her. I had taken Sandra with me to Finland from the last tour. She had been with her brother then. I decided I would give him a call. But that would have to wait, because it was time for the show. KAT: I darted to the bathroom and locked the door behind me. I stared at my reflection in the mirror. How could I have done that to Ville? How could Aiden have done that to me? Oh, stop. You just want to blame someone besides yourself. I turned the water on as hot as I could stand it and got into the shower. I stayed there until the water turned cold. After wrapping myself in a towel, I crept out of the bathroom. Aiden wasn't in the bed, so I assumed he had gone for breakfast or coffee. I put my clothes back on and made my way into the living room. Aiden was waiting for me. "I have to go." I said, walking quickly toward the door. "Wait." Aiden said. I stopped and turned to face him. "I'm sorry." "Me, too." "No, it was my fault. I had the wine and I made the first move. I wasn't even really drunk." "What do you mean you weren't drunk?" Maybe I should blame Aiden. "Listen, I've had a thing for you for a long time. When I found out we were supposed to be related, I dropped it. But then, Ville told me about Ella and how we aren't related, so I just...I just wanted to be with you." "So, you got me drunk so you could sleep with me? Knowing I'm engaged?" "I'm sorry." I slapped Aiden, hard, across the face. "I don't want your apology. Stay away from me." I walked out the door. "Kat-" "I never want to see you again!" I called over my shoulder. VILLE: I had just walked off the stage when my phone rang. Kat. Why would she be calling me at this hour? It would be around six in the morning there. Something must be wrong. "Hello? Are you okay?" I asked. I heard sniffling from the other end. "No, Ville..I fucked up." Kat said. "What do you mean?" I asked cautiously. "Ville, I slept with Aiden." 


	19. Chapter 19

CHAPTER 19: "What?" Surely, I had heard wrong. Kat wouldn't cheat on me. "Last night, Aiden invited me to dinner. He admitted to me this morning that he got me drunk so that I would sleep with him." I hung up. I couldn't listen to it. Kat had had sex with Aiden? I could feel the tears welling up. I needed a drink. Now. "Bam!" I called to Bam, who was a few feet away with Belle. "Yeah?" Bam said, coming over to where I stood. "Bro, what's wrong?" "I need a drink. Let's go." "A drink? Ville, you don't drink anymore?" "I will decide when I drink." "Why don't we just go talk about what's making you want to drink?" I knew Bam was trying to help me do the right thing, but I just wasn't in the mood to try right now. "I'm going, whether you come or not." Three hours later, I was sitting at a bar. An empty bottle of Jack Daniels sat in front of me. Kat had called a few times, but I didn't want to hear it. I was out here, trying to stay away from alcohol, getting arrested because of Sandra. And what was Kat doing? Screwing around behind my back. Maybe I should do the same to her. KAT: It had been hours since I'd told Ville about Aiden. I had tried calling him several times, but he would answer and hang up on me. Eventually, I had given up. Now, I lay on the bathroom floor. I had been throwing up all morning. Of course, I knew what that probably meant, but there was no way I was going to accept that I could be pregnant. Not when I had just slept with Aiden and Ville was probably done with me. Then again, maybe it was just the hangover. I had called in sick to work and the intership. I just couldn't handle being around people today. I had to know that Ville and I could overcome this. I had to know that he was okay. I dialed his number again. No answer. I tried Bam. "Hello?" Bam answered. It was quiet in the background, so I assumed everyone was sleeping. But what was Bam doing awake? "Were you asleep?" I asked. "No, we're at a bar. I just came outside where it's quiet." "Oh." "Yeah, so what's up?" "Can you take your phone to the bus? I need to talk to Ville." "Ville's inside the bar. He's been pretty down, and he got drunk. Maybe he needs to talk to you." "No, it's probably the opposite." But Bam didn't reply. I heard the noise of the bar in the background. Bam had more than likely took the phone from his ear as he went inside to get Ville. Great. "Hello?" Ville said a moment later. The music in the background was louder now. "Ville, I know you don't want to talk to me, but I wanted to apologize." I said quickly. I was afraid Ville would hang up on me again. Surprisingly, Ville replied. "Apology accepted." Ville slurred. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm drunk and have to go have sex with someone." Click. I threw my phone across the room. It landed near the tub. I had driven Ville to drinking again and now he was going to go have sex with some random chick. And, as much as I wanted to put all the blame on Aiden, I knew it was my fault. I took a deep breath. I should probably get out of Ville's tower before he got back. But that was about a month from now, so I decided to go look in the paper for available apartments, just in case. I mean, there was still time for us to work things out, right? Surely it wasn't over just like that. I could only hope as much. But, before I went anywhere, I was in dire need of a shower. I went to Ville's room to get some clothes from my half of the closet. I got a sweater that hung from one shoulder and a pair of yoga pants. I was about to turn to go to the bathroom, when I noticed a shoe box on the floor. The lid was halfway off, revealing a bunch of papers inside. I wasn't usually one for snooping, but curiosity did kill the cat. Literally, in my case. I took the box over to the bed and sat down. Taking the lid off, I saw that the box was filled with pictures of Ville and I. There were pictures from the first day we had met, pictures from New York. Basically, pictures documenting our entire relationship. Ville would probably burn these when he got back. I found a picture of Ville and I that Bam had taken. In the photo, Ville was looking at me with so much love. And I was doing the same. He had his hands on my waist, my arms around his neck, our foreheads touching. I hadn't known that Bam had taken this picture, but I stuck it in my bag. If our relationship did end, I wanted something to remember it by. I wanted to remember what we had had together. My first and only love. VILLE: I led the girl back to the bus. I couldn't remember her name for shit, but hey, who needed names? It wasn't like I was going to cherish this night. It was just sex. No, it's just a revenge sort-of-thing. I thought. My brain was right, but my heart was aching. I had never imagined Kat would do something like that to me. As soon as I closed the door to my room, the girl started stripping. That was when I realized that I couldn't do it. I had never been a cheater. And, even though my heart was broken, this wasn't me. Suddenly, I was completely sober. I grabbed the girl's hands, stopping them from unbuttoning her jeans. I handed her her top and told her she had to go. She seemed sad at first, then angry. After jerking her shirt from me, she stormed off the bus. Sighing, I slammed down on my bed. Resting my elbows on my knees, I put my face in my hands. I had to get a grip on myself. I had fucked up and gotten drunk. Just because Sandra had had me arrested and Kat had cheated on me, it was no excuse for me to ruin my progress. My phone rang. The ID told me it was Kat. I wasn't sure I wanted to continue our relationship; I just needed some time to think. "Hello?" I answered. "Ville, I was just calling to see if we're together at all?" Kat asked. I took a deep breath. "Kat, I love you." "I love you, too." "But I just need some time. I think we should break up for a while." I heard Kat's muffled sob and it nearly tore me in two. I was tempted to take it back and forgive her right then. "I fucked up and you did, too. Let's just take some time. Until I get home." Kat took a deep breath of her own. "Okay. Ville?" "What?" "Did you sleep with her?" I thought about confirming Kat's suspicions so she would hurt as much as I did, but I wasn't a cruel person like that. "No, I didn't." Kat breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you." "I have to get some rest." "Okay. Bye." "Bye." I laid back on the bed, grateful that Kat had been understanding. Of course, I still loved Kat with all my heart, and I wanted to be with her and spend the rest of my life with her. I just had to know that something like this wouldn't happen again. I was a musician and I was going to be on tour again after this. If Kat couldn't handle it, then maybe she needed to find someone else. Someone who wouldn't be gone for months at a time. And, as much as it hurt me to think like this, maybe I needed to find someone who could handle it. Someone who wouldn't cheat on me. Come on, Ville. Kat said Aiden had gotten her drunk to sleep with her. She said Aiden admitted to it! And maybe I should call Aiden. 


	20. Chapter 20

CHAPTER 20: KAT: I hung up the phone. So, Ville and I were over. I wanted to cry, but my body felt clean out of tears. It was kind of surreal. I felt terrible that all this had even happened, but I was so glad that Ville had not slept with someone else. I know, hypocritical, right? Still, it felt good to know that Ville still hadn't lost himself, and that I still might have a chance to be with him. I put the shoe box back in it's place and headed for the shower. I was definitely leaving this tower. As soon as possible. I know Ville hadn't told me I had to leave, but it just felt...empty. Knowing that Ville and I were broken up, and having to see all the reminders of our past. It just didn't seem healthy. After taking a shower and throwing my hair into a ponytail, I grabbed my keys and headed out in search of a new place to live. I opened the door and saw Aiden waiting. VILLE: It was about one in the morning where I was, so it was around eight in the morning in Helsinki. I dialed Aiden's number and waited. No answer. What if he was with Kat? Oh, well. Kat needed to explore her options and decide what she really wanted. If she came to the conclusion that I wasn't right for her, then so be it. Maybe she wasn't right for me. I fell asleep with that thought in mind... BAM: I woke up the next morning to the sound of loud music. Everyone else seemed to be sleeping through it. I got up and went into the bathroom. After showering, I went to find out where the sound of Black Sabbath was coming from. Ville's room. I thought of knocking, but decided against it. Ville had been in a funk for a few days now, and if he hadn't told me about it, it was probably because he felt like he couldn't. I had been spending a lot of time with Belle lately. Maybe that was why Ville didn't want to talk. Well, he needed to talk to someone about what was going on. I knocked on his door. "Come in!" Ville called over the music. I entered his room, which was on it's way to becoming spotless. "What's going on with you, man?" Ville turned the music down to background level. "What?" "What's up with you?" I asked again. "Nothing. Why?" "Well, you've been down for days, and you're cleaning." "I'm not allowed to clean now?" Ville asked. This was going to be more difficult than I had anticipated. "Of course you are." "So, then what's the problem?" "Why won't you just tell me what's up? We're best friends." "I don't feel like talking about it." "Well, when will you feel like talking about it?" "I don't know. Never." I sighed dramatically. "Ville, pull your head out of your ass and tell me what the Hell is going on." Ville sat down on the bed, looking defeated. "Kat." I sat on the table across from him. "What's wrong with Kat?" "We broke up." Ville put his head in his hands. "Shit. What happened?" "She got drunk and cheated on me with Aiden." "What?" "She got-" "No, I heard you, but I just never thought she would do that." "Me either, obviously." VILLE: It felt good to talk about my issues with Bam. I had wanted to confide in him sooner, but he seemed happy with Belle. Who was I to put my grief on him? But I had been wrong to doubt Bam. Luckily, he was good enough of a friend to make me talk. Well, on the bright side, my room was clean. AIDEN: As soon as Kat left, I had felt terrible about everything. Kind of. I mean, yeah, I had probably ruined Kat's relationship with Ville. Which could be considered a good thing or a bad thing, depending on who you asked. Now, I was standing on Ville's doorstep, debating whether or not I should knock. Of course, I wasn't here to see Ville; he was on tour, anyway. And he would probably knock me out if he were here. Ah, well. It was a little too late to care what Ville thought. Kat opened the door and surprised me. "Jesus! You scared me!" I exclaimed. "What the Hell are you doing here? I told you I never wanted to see you again. And this is Ville's house!" Kat said. "I know good and well who's house it is." "So, then leave. I don't want you anywhere near me!" "What's wrong? Get dumped?" KAT: "What's wrong? Get dumped?" I had a feeling that Aiden knew perfectly well that Ville and I were over. It was partially his fault as it was. "Something like that." "So, let's go out." "Fuck you." I locked Ville's door and pushed past Aiden. To my dismay, he caught up and kept talking. "You already did that, remember?" I turned on him. "What's your problem? You used to be..." Aiden cocked an eyebrow. "Used to be..what?" "Nice." "Yeah, and nice guys always finish last." "Well, I liked the old you better." "Liked?" "Yeah, now I hate you altogether." I said. I started walking away again, hoping to God Aiden took the hint. But it appeared no one was on my side today. "You didn't hate me last night." Jesus Christ. "I hate you because of last night, you twit. Now, leave me alone." I said again. "Your boyfriend called me on the way over here. Oops, I mean ex-boyfriend." "What did he say?" "What are you going to do for me if I tell you?" Aiden was really pushing his luck with me today. "Nevermind. I'm sure Ville will tell me, free of charge." I retorted. "What if I told you that he told me to go ahead and ask you out?" I stopped in my tracks. Would Ville do that? I thought we were just taking a break.. 


	21. Chapter 21

CHAPTER 21: VILLE: It was twenty minutes to showtime when Kat called me. I considered not answering. Technically, we were broken up and maybe I should make her worry. But, again, I couldn't do it. Sighing, I answered. "Hello?" I said. "Ville, did you tell Aiden to ask me out? I thought we were just taking a break?" Kat sounded a little desperate. "Uh..I haven't talked to Aiden, but-" "I'm going to kill him." Kat's voice was calm, but I heard the venom behind her words. "Kat, I was thinking, and I think you should weigh your options and decide if being with me is really what you want." "Of course it's what I want." "Well.." "Why would you say that?" Kat asked. "I'm just going to be blunt. You slept with Aiden. And, yeah, you were drunk. But isn't there a saying that says you show your true self when you're drunk? Maybe you did want to sleep with him. So, think about it is all I'm saying." There. Said it. Kat was silent for a moment. "I don't want Aiden, but if you don't want me anymore, just tell me. Don't hint around at it." Sigh. "Kat, I love you and I want to be with you. I'm just making sure you won't have any regrets." "I won't. We'll talk when you get back." Click. I sighed and headed out on stage. KAT: 6 weeks later... Today was the day. Ville had called to let me know he was going to be home this afternoon. He still didn't know I had moved from the tower. I had been living in an apartment a few blocks over for about a month now. Ville and I had agreed to meet for lunch and just talk. About Aiden, tour...us. As nervous as I was, I was equally excited. I hadn't seen Ville in over six weeks, hadn't talked to him in at least five weeks. Neither of us had tried to contact the other. If Ville had called, I would have answered, but his call had never come. And I didn't want to push him. I understood he needed his space and time to think. VILLE: I had just gotten out of the shower. I was finally back home in Helsinki. After taking a short nap and a shower, I was getting ready to meet Kat for lunch. It hadn't taken me long, upon arriving at my tower, to realize that Kat wasn't living here anymore. It looked as if she had been moved out for a while. I wasn't completely sure why Kat had decided to move out, but I was kind of glad to have some time to myself. Time to consider what I was going to say to Kat. KAT: Ville was ten minutes late. That wasn't like him. I was starting to think that he wasn't going to show, when he slid into the booth across from me. Inside, I breathed a sigh of relief. Ville just stared at me intently, his arms crossed, resting on the table in front of him. I felt as if he were criticizing every inch of me. I didn't like it. "So.." I wasn't exactly sure of what to say, but I had to get him to stop looking at me like that. As if he were so disappointed and disgusted with me. "Do you want to tell me exactly what happened that night?" Ville asked. I didn't need him to remind me which night he was referring to. I sighed and ran a hand through my hair. "Aiden invited me over for dinner; everything seemed normal. I went over, we ate dinner and drank some wine. I drank more than I would care to admit, but I accept responsibility for what happened. He kissed me and I didn't stop him, and then we had sex. "Honestly, I didn't even remember how I had gotten to Aiden's the next morning. Then, when I realized that I was..naked...it all came flooding back and I felt terrible. I still feel terrible. I just want to know that you forgive me. And then, if you want to move on, I understand." VILLE: After Kat finished telling me about the night she cheated on me, I took a deep breath. It felt good to hear the whole story and to be able to let it go. I could tell that Kat was sincere when she said she felt terrible. And I did forgive her. I just wasn't sure yet if I wanted to be with her. "I forgive you." I said. Kat let go of a shaky breath and thanked me. "But, I'm not sure if I want to get back together yet. Did you go out with Aiden like I suggested?" Most of me was hoping that Kat said no, but a small part of me was curious as to what might have happened had Kat gone out with Aiden. There had to be tension between the two of them. Or maybe they had determined that they were good together after all. "Aiden has changed. A lot. It started when he got me drunk and we had sex." Kat looked down at her hands as she said this. "Then, when he came to the tower and told me that you had called and told him to ask me out, he was awful. I don't know what happened to him. "Anyway, I decided to give him a chance, since you wanted me to see if I liked him as more than a friend. Though, at that time, I didn't particularly like him as a friend, either." Flashback... "This is what you call a date?" I asked Aiden. He had told me that Ville wanted him to ask me out, and after confirming this with Ville, I had unwillingly agreed. Now, we were back at Aiden's apartment. "I didn't say we were going on a date, did I?" Aiden answered with a question. How annoying. "No, but I assumed-" "You assumed wrong. Now, come here." Aiden took my hand and led me to the sofa. I sat beside him, but I had a feeling I knew where this was going. "Kat, I love you." Okay, wasn't expecting that. "I want to be with you, but in order for me to be able to do that, you have to let go of Ville." "Aiden, the only reason I came over is because Ville wanted me to explore my options. The only other option, as opposed to Ville, is you. I was pretty positive before that I don't like you like that, and coming over here confirmed that. I'm sorry, Aiden, but we can't be together." Aiden made a noise that was a mix of a snicker and a scoff. "Kat, don't you see? Ville told you to come out with me because he is done with you." "Aiden, we were engaged. You can't just move on so quickly from something like that." I said defensively. "Were. The key word there. You were engaged, until you slept with me. Now, Ville realizes that you're dirty; you're a whore. Who would want to marry a whore?" I clenched my jaw. He was wrong, of course he was. Ville knew that I wasn't a whore. I made a simple-well, not really so simple-mistake when I was drunk. Ville was the only other person I had ever even kissed, let alone slept with. Surely, he knew that. Surely, Aiden was lying through his teeth? "Well, if I'm such a whore, why would you want to be with me?" Aiden sneered. "Because I like it." Aiden grabbed the hem of my shirt and pulled me to him, though I was obviously resisting. I put my hands on either of his shoulders, ensuring I wouldn't get any closer to him. Our faces were only a few inches apart. "What happened to you?" I whispered. "What are you talking about?" "You're just like Ella. You're just...mean. I miss the old you." "I am nothing like that woman." Aiden used the hand holding my shirt to push me away. "She is vile." "I hate to be the one to break it to you, but so are you." "Shut up." I stood and followed Aiden to the kitchen. "Think about it. You lured me here, got me drunk and had sex with me. I was engaged! Then, you come and tell me I'm a whore and throw yourself at me?" "I said shut up!" Aiden grabbed my shoulders and shook me, then slammed me into the refrigerator. "I just wanted to be with you. I wanted to mean what Ville does. You're all I wanted. When the nice guy routine didn't work, I resorted to something else. But, I do love you, Kat." Aiden had tears in his eyes and, for a moment, I really did feel sorry for him. I wished that I could love him, because I was afraid Ville no longer loved me. "Aiden, I wish I could love you the way I love Ville. I wish that I could sit here and lie and say that you meant everything to me. But, the fact is, I am in love with Ville. And, even if Ville doesn't love me anymore, I don't think I could ever love anyone as much as I do him." Aiden sighed in resignation and whispered, "Just go." "Aiden-" "Go." [End Flashback] VILLE: Kat had tears in her eyes by the time she finished. "I didn't want to lose Aiden, but I don't want to lose you, either." Kat looked up at me through tear-stained lashes, but didn't say anything else. I felt tears come to my own eyes. I hardly ever cried, but seeing Kat hurting always seemed to have a way of clenching my heart in a viselike grip. I took a deep breath before speaking. "Kat, I want to move on and put this all behind us. I am completely and utterly in love with you and I still want to spend the rest of my life with you. If you'll have me." "Of course I will, but how can you move on so quickly? Not that I don't want to move on, but what if you regret not thinking about it later?" Kat asked. I smiled and took Kat's hands in mine. "Kat, I've thought about this for weeks. I made the mistake of getting drunk. I nearly had sex with another woman, but I couldn't do it because I am still in love with you. And, even though you slept with Aiden, and a part of me wanted to believe that you had done it because you didn't love me, I know that it was a mistake that you never would have made, had you been sober. So, yes, I forgive you. And yes, I want to be with you." KAT: Tears sprung to my eyes again. Ville still wanted to be with me. After all that had happened, he still loved me. "I want to be with you, too. And I swear, I'll never drink alcohol again." Ville laughed and leaned across the table to kiss me. I had missed his lips on mine. "What do you say we get out of here?" Ville growled seductively in my ear. "My place or yours?" "Well, my place is soon to be yours again, so let's go home." I awoke to the silk of Ville's sheets and the scent of Ville himself. Ville was asleep next to me. Our reunion had started off rocky, but had ended on a high note. Ville and I were together. Finally back together. Ville stretched and smiled at me. "Morning, love." Ville said. "Good morning to you, too, Mr. Valo." I replied as I traced a line down his chest. "Do you still want to be Mrs. Valo?" "Well, that depends.." "On?" "I'll marry you when you admit you can wake up dead." Ville narrowed his eyes playfully. "So, if I say yes, you'll say yes?" "Yep." "How about we just agree to disagree?" I rolled my eyes and rested my head on his chest, looking into his eyes. "You're so stubborn. I'm never going to hear you say it, am I?" "Hmmm..Nope, probably not." "Well, I still love you anyway." Ville kissed me deeply and wrapped his arms around me. I never wanted this to end. 


	22. Epilogue

EPILOGUE: KAT: "Hold still." Belle said as she tried to get the bobby pin to hold my hair the right way. It was about six months later and I was finally going to be able to start the rest of my life as Mrs. Valo. I had no one in America who really cared that I was getting married, so we were having the wedding in Finland. Bam and Belle had been practically inseparable since Ville had introduced them on the tour. Since Belle was coming to the wedding anyway, I asked her if she would help me plan it. She had gotten really teary-eyed and told me about how she and Nat had always dreamed of planning each other's weddings. This had made me cry, too. When Ville and Bam had walked in to find us crying together, the looks on their faces were priceless. It was no secret that Belle and I weren't exactly the best of friends, but Belle had changed since meeting Bam. For the better. Aiden had left Finland soon after our fight. He had sent me a postcard from Oregon about two months later, saying that he had found his "perfect girl". That was the last I had heard of him. As for Ella, well, she used the money I gave her on the thing she always loved most. Drugs. Around December, I had gotten a call saying that Ella had passed. Overdose. I told the guy that Ella was no family of mine and hung up. "There." Belle said, smiling. "You look beautiful." Seeing myself in the mirror for the first time, I gasped. I did look beautiful. This made me think of my family. All gone. They wouldn't get to see me marry the man of my dreams. "You know they're watching." Belle said, as if she could read my mind. I smiled. "I know." "Now, come on. You've got a wedding to get to." "I do." Ville said. "You may now kiss the bride." Ville leaned in and kissed me passionately. Maybe a little too passionately for a wedding. We pulled away, my face warming. "Are you ready for the rest of our lives, Mrs. Valo?" Ville whispered to me. "But of course, Mr. Valo." I replied with a grin. **Author's Note** I just wanted to say thanks to all those who have read this. It is by far the best FanFic I have ever written. And the longest so far. Hopefully, you will continue to read my other FanFics. Thanks. (: 


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